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Place dossier plate
SheetAR-HOT-SPRINGS-AR · Hot Springs, AR 38,023 pop · income 14th pct · 30 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 Hot Springs
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Hot Springs on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Pine Bluff · lowest
41,250
Pine Bluff · lowest
41,250 median HH income
48.0% of the leader · rank #1
Sawyerville · near
46,429
Sawyerville · near
46,429 median HH income
54.0% of the leader · rank #2
Yukon · near
46,431
Yukon · near
46,431 median HH income
54.0% of the leader · rank #3
Atkins · near
46,432
Atkins · near
46,432 median HH income
54.0% of the leader · rank #4
Reynoldsville · near
46,433
Reynoldsville · near
46,433 median HH income
54.0% of the leader · rank #5
Hot Springs · this city
46,441
Hot Springs · this city
46,441 median HH income
54.0% of the leader · rank #6
Bella Vista · highest
85,932
Bella Vista · highest
85,932 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 Hot Springs 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: 38,023.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Hot Springs - the verdict
Hot Springs ranks in the 14th percentile for household income and the 4th percentile for safety nationally, out of every US city with at least 1,000 residents. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
14th
percentile, household income
29th
percentile, home value
3rd
percentile, median rent
4th
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: Hot Springs, AR
Hot Springs is a small city in Arkansas, home to 38,023 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The typical household in Hot Springs brings in $46,441 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 13.7%. Hot Springs's housing stock carries a median value of $156,900, and the median resident age is 45.1 years. About 27.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 52.1% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 111 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Stable), down 5% from five years earlier. Hot Springs's reported crime rate runs above the national norm: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 4697.2 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, above the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA puts Hot Springs's yearly average temperature at 63.1°F with 52.9 inches of precipitation per year.
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. Monthly utility costs average around $210 across Arkansas, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. 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 Hot Springs'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 housing and income to population change to reported crime to within-city variation to climate and hazard context to schools and households to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Hot Springs, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history, matched public-school count, FBI reported-crime rates.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
How far does income reach against housing in Hot Springs?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 3.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 13.7%, 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. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Is Hot Springs growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
The recent population line is broadly flat. That makes the composition of change more important than the headline count: housing turnover, household size, and age structure can shift even when the total barely moves.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +49 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +0.1% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 111 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
What can 30 Census tracts reveal inside Hot Springs?
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.
PlainCities matches 30 Census tracts to this city.
Which cities make useful reference points for Hot Springs?
Within Arkansas, the closest population matches are Benton (35,954 residents, $69,638 income); Pine Bluff (40,436 residents, $41,250 income); Sherwood (32,915 residents, $79,157 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Sun, AZ (38,018 residents); Riviera Beach, FL (38,032 residents); Adelanto, CA (38,010 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.
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 Hot Springs?
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 4697.2 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, above the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 106% higher in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
4163.0
Violent rate
534.2
Total reported rate
4697.2
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
What physical conditions frame life in Hot Springs?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 63.1°F, with 52.9 inches of precipitation. 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.
Mean temperature
63.1°F
Annual precipitation
52.9 in
FEMA risk index (state avg)
55.5
NOAA Climate Normals and FEMA National Risk Index (state-averaged on PlainCities). Hazard context is not address-level.
What does the education layer cover for Hot Springs?
The NCES join finds 16 public schools within the city match. 27.7% 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 city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
16
Bachelor's degree+
27.7%
Poverty estimate
13.7%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What does the journey to work look like in Hot Springs?
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 77.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.5%
Work from home
5.6%
Drive alone
77.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 15,927 workers age 16+.
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.
Bachelor's+ share C-
27.7%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
13.7%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$46,441
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime F
534 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Hot Springs profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 86.9 index
Bachelor's+ share: 54/100 (C-) · 27.7%
Poverty rate: 25/100 (F) · 13.7%
Household income: 15/100 (F) · $46,441
Violent crime: 14/100 (F) · 534 /100k
Where Hot Springs sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Hot Springs'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 - Hot Springs highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Hot Springs, AR (this city): home $156,900, crime 4,697/100k
Riviera Beach, FL : home $311,900, crime 4,575/100k
Adelanto, CA : home $318,300, crime 1,560/100k
Northglenn, CO : home $440,900, crime 3,010/100k
Portage, IN : home $210,800, crime 1,344/100k
Holyoke, MA : home $255,300, crime 5,273/100k
Benton, AR : home $199,400, crime 2,679/100k
Pine Bluff, AR : home $86,400, crime 6,129/100k
Sherwood, AR : home $190,900, crime 2,571/100k
Bella Vista, AR : home $262,400, crime 691/100k
Paragould, AR : home $175,400, crime 3,813/100k
Texarkana, AR : home $162,700, crime 4,398/100k
How does Hot Springs compare to other US cities?
Where Hot Springs sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income14% higher than other cities
Home value29% pricier than other cities
Median rent3% pricier than other cities
Safety4% 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, Hot Springs ranks #150 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 Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs near the bottom of Arkansas's cities
Among the 524 Arkansas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Hot Springs ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Hot Springs only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#267 of 495
46th percentile in Arkansas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 524
0th percentile in Arkansas
Median Home Value
#123 of 482
74th percentile in Arkansas
Poverty Rate
#247 of 524
52nd percentile in Arkansas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#60 of 524
89th 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
14th percentile nationally for median household income · 4th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Hot Springs's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Hot Springs'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 Hot Springs's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$156,900Among the most affordablemore affordable than 71% 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
Hot Springs's home-value-to-income ratio: 3.4×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
moderate
3.0–5.0×
National rank
#8,481 of 15,516
More affordable than 45% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#1,374 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 3.4×, Hot Springs sits in the moderate band:
national rank #8,481 of 15,516 and #1,374 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
$46,441Hot Springs, AR median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Hot Springs, 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 Hot Springs, AR.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)27.7%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)13.7%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)52.1%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
38,023
Median Income
$46,441
Median Home Value
$156,900
Median Age
45.1
Poverty Rate
13.7%
Labor force participation
52.1%
Bachelor's Degree+
27.7%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
4697.2
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
534.2
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
4163.0
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
63.1°F
Annual Precipitation
52.9"
Annual Snowfall
N/A
Schools
Total Schools
16
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Hot Springs's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
37,930 residents
2021
37,888 residents
2022
37,963 residents
2023
37,935 residents
2024
38,009 residents
2025
37,979 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
🏗️ Stable
Total Permits (2024)
111
housing units authorized
Single-Family
87
detached homes
Multifamily
24
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.9
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
117
47
70
$20.4M
2020
88
79
9
$18.9M
2021
330
78
252
$37.6M
2022
99
67
32
$26.4M
2023
76
70
6
$26.2M
2024
111
87
24
$35.4M
Permit volume decreased 5% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
77.7%
Carpool
12.6%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
2.4%
Work from Home
5.6%
Other
1.2%
Based on 15,927 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 Hot Springs. 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 Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Hot Springs 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.