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Place dossier plate
SheetAR-HARRISON-AR · Harrison, AR 13,217 pop · income 8th pct · 7 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Harrison
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Harrison on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Forrest City · lowest
33,522
Forrest City · lowest
33,522 median HH income
20.9% of the leader · rank #1
Marenisco · near
40,556
Marenisco · near
40,556 median HH income
25.3% of the leader · rank #2
Williamston · near
40,556
Williamston · near
40,556 median HH income
25.3% of the leader · rank #3
Wells River · near
40,556
Wells River · near
40,556 median HH income
25.3% of the leader · rank #4
Saluda · near
40,567
Saluda · near
40,567 median HH income
25.3% of the leader · rank #5
Harrison · this city
40,568
Harrison · this city
40,568 median HH income
25.3% of the leader · rank #6
El Sobrante C… · highest
160,331
El Sobrante C… · highest
160,331 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Harrison on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 13,217.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Harrison - the verdict
Out of every US city with 1,000+ residents, Harrison places in the 8th percentile for household income and the 30th percentile for safety. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
8th
percentile, household income
32nd
percentile, home value
3rd
percentile, median rent
30th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Harrison, AR
Harrison is a small town in Arkansas, home to 13,217 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here is $40,568 per year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 9.5%. Harrison's housing stock carries a median value of $165,000, and the median resident age is 41.4 years. About 16.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 50.0% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 81 residential units authorized here in 2024 (Building Boom), up 575% from five years earlier. Crime here tracks close to the national norm: FBI UCR figures show 2107.4 crimes per 100,000 residents, near the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 58.6°F with 47.5 inches of precipitation per year and 9.5 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Arkansas run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Arkansas scores 86.9 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $944 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Arkansas's average monthly utility costs around $210 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 55.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Harrison's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to housing and income to reported crime to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to population change to work and mobility to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Harrison, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, commute-mode shares, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, local building permits, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What physical conditions frame life in Harrison?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 58.6°F, with 47.5 inches of precipitation and 9.5 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Arkansas is 55.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
How far does income reach against housing in Harrison?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 4.1 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 9.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Which cities make useful reference points for Harrison?
Within Arkansas, the closest population matches are Blytheville (13,026 residents, $49,928 income); Mountain Home (13,021 residents, $42,103 income); Forrest City (12,826 residents, $33,522 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are California, MD (13,223 residents); Waconia, MN (13,223 residents); Newton, NC (13,223 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Harrison?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 2107.4 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, near the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 8% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1789.4
Violent rate
318.0
Total reported rate
2107.4
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Harrison growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +742 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +5.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 81 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+5.7%
2025 estimate
13,802
2020 estimate
13,060
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the journey to work look like in Harrison?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
6.3%
Drive alone
78.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 5,327 workers age 16+.
The NCES join finds 1 public school within the city match. 16.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.
Matched public schools
1
Bachelor's degree+
16.5%
Poverty estimate
9.5%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 9.5% (Above-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
86.9 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Arkansas average
F
City profile score · Harrison, AR
39/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
86.9 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Poverty rate D
9.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Violent crime F
318 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
16.5%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Household income F
$40,568
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Harrison profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 86.9 index
Poverty rate: 42/100 (D) · 9.5%
Violent crime: 30/100 (F) · 318 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 24/100 (F) · 16.5%
Household income: 8/100 (F) · $40,568
Where Harrison sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Harrison's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Harrison highlighted among 9 peers.Read the chart values
Harrison, AR (this city): home $165,000, crime 2,107/100k
Newton, NC : home $169,300, crime 2,307/100k
La Grange Park, IL : home $427,800, crime 699/100k
Blytheville, AR : home $101,200, crime 5,780/100k
Mountain Home, AR : home $160,200, crime 2,532/100k
Forrest City, AR : home $87,800, crime 4,030/100k
Marion, AR : home $206,300, crime 2,871/100k
Batesville, AR : home $159,200, crime 1,901/100k
Magnolia, AR : home $166,500, crime 3,042/100k
How does Harrison compare to other US cities?
Here's how Harrison stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income8% higher than other cities
Home value32% pricier than other cities
Median rent3% pricier than other cities
Safety30% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Arkansas alone, Harrison ranks #96 of 160 Arkansas cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Harrison against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Arkansas only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Arkansas-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Harrison near the bottom of Arkansas's cities
Among the 524 Arkansas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Harrison ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Harrison only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#344 of 495
31st percentile in Arkansas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 524
0th percentile in Arkansas
Median Home Value
#102 of 482
79th percentile in Arkansas
Poverty Rate
#324 of 524
38th percentile in Arkansas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#185 of 524
65th percentile in Arkansas
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Arkansas only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
8th percentile nationally for median household income · 30th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Harrison's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Harrison's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.
How Harrison's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$165,000Among the most affordablemore affordable than 68% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Harrison's home-value-to-income ratio: 4.1×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#10,894 of 15,516
More affordable than 30% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#2,046 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 4.1×, Harrison sits in the moderate band:
national rank #10,894 of 15,516 and #2,046 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
Income and home value move in the same broad scale; check same-state peers before treating the multiple as an advantage or a warning.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$40,568Harrison, AR median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Harrison, AR median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Harrison, AR.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)16.5%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)9.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)50.0%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
13,217
Median Income
$40,568
Median Home Value
$165,000
Median Age
41.4
Poverty Rate
9.5%
Labor force participation
50.0%
Bachelor's Degree+
16.5%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
2107.4
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
318.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1789.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.
Climate
Avg Temperature
58.6°F
Annual Precipitation
47.5"
Annual Snowfall
9.5"
Schools
Total Schools
1
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Harrison's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
13,060 residents
2021
13,202 residents
2022
13,312 residents
2023
13,386 residents
2024
13,682 residents
2025
13,802 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
81
housing units authorized
Single-Family
5
detached homes
Multifamily
76
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
6.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
12
12
0
$2.4M
2020
10
10
0
$2.6M
2021
14
12
2
$2.7M
2022
13
5
8
$1.9M
2023
229
7
222
$29.1M
2024
81
5
76
$8.8M
Permit volume increased 575% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.7%
Carpool
10.6%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
4.1%
Work from Home
6.3%
Based on 5,327 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Arkansas statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $210
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Arkansas at $210 (electricity about $110 , water and sewer about $42 ).
These are Arkansas statewide averages, not a meter reading for Harrison. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Arkansas's BEA cost-of-living index is 86.9 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Harrison is $944/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Arkansas statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.5 / 100 (Moderate).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Arkansas statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Harrison sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Harrison compares to similar-size Arkansas cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.