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Place dossier plate
SheetAR-LOWELL-AR · Lowell, AR 10,438 pop · income 73rd pct
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 Lowell
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Lowell on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Clarksville · lowest
37,848
Clarksville · lowest
37,848 median HH income
20.7% of the leader · rank #1
Lowell · this city
92,986
Lowell · this city
92,986 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #2
Village of Fo… · near
92,988
Village of Fo… · near
92,988 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #3
Soulsbyville · near
92,996
Soulsbyville · near
92,996 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #4
Magnolia Spri… · near
93,000
Magnolia Spri… · near
93,000 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #5
Dotsero · near
93,000
Dotsero · near
93,000 median HH income
50.8% of the leader · rank #6
Scaggsville · highest
183,125
Scaggsville · highest
183,125 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 Lowell 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: 10,438.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Lowell - the verdict
Nationally, Lowell sits in the 73rd percentile for household income and the 68th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
73rd
percentile, household income
58th
percentile, home value
3rd
percentile, median rent
68th
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: Lowell, AR
Arkansas's Lowell is a small town, with 10,438 residents per the latest Census Bureau ACS figures. Households in Lowell report a median income of $92,986 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 5.9%. Home values in Lowell run a median of $260,100, and the median resident age is 32.1 years. About 29.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 68.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 241 residential building permits were authorized in Lowell (Building Boom), up 90% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Lowell reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 897.3 incidents per 100,000 residents, below the national average (voluntary agency reporting, reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score).
Living costs in Arkansas run below the national norm: the state registers 86.9 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $944 per month. Monthly utility costs average around $210 across Arkansas, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 55.5 out of 100 (Moderate).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Lowell'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 work and mobility to housing and income to comparison shortlist to population change to schools and households to reported crime; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Lowell, city-specific coverage includes FBI reported-crime rates, annual population history, commute-mode shares, local building permits, matched public-school count.
No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What does the journey to work look like in Lowell?
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 78.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
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.
How far does income reach against housing in Lowell?
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.
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.8 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 5.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
Which cities make useful reference points for Lowell?
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.
Within Arkansas, the closest population matches are Camden (10,427 residents, $51,300 income); Arkadelphia (10,316 residents, $42,430 income); Malvern (10,938 residents, $40,602 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Warr Acres, OK (10,437 residents); Fairwood CDP (Spokane County), WA (10,439 residents); Scaggsville, MD (10,441 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.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +2,238 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +22.5% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 241 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
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.
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.
Schools and households
What does the education layer cover for Lowell?
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.
The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 29.2% 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.
Poverty estimate
5.9%
Bachelor's degree+
29.2%
Matched public schools
2
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
What can the FBI record say about safety in Lowell?
The joined FBI UCR record reports 897.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 61% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
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.
Total reported rate
897.3
Violent rate
257.6
Property rate
639.7
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Above median income · poverty 5.9% (Below-median poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
86.9 (US=100)
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Arkansas average
B-
City profile score · Lowell, AR
66/100
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.
Household income B
$92,986
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Poverty rate C+
5.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share C
29.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Violent crime F
258 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Lowell profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 86.9 index
Household income: 72/100 (B) · $92,986
Poverty rate: 60/100 (C+) · 5.9%
Bachelor's+ share: 57/100 (C) · 29.2%
Violent crime: 39/100 (F) · 258 /100k
Where Lowell sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Lowell'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 - Lowell highlighted among 8 peers.Read the chart values
Lowell, AR (this city): home $260,100, crime 897/100k
Warr Acres, OK : home $150,500, crime 3,845/100k
Camden, AR : home $108,800, crime 5,137/100k
Arkadelphia, AR : home $176,000, crime 2,133/100k
Malvern, AR : home $95,500, crime 3,057/100k
Magnolia, AR : home $166,500, crime 3,042/100k
Greenwood, AR : home $177,300, crime 545/100k
Clarksville, AR : home $159,700, crime 2,500/100k
How does Lowell compare to other US cities?
Where Lowell sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income73% higher than other cities
Home value58% pricier than other cities
Median rent3% pricier than other cities
Safety68% safer than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
Zoom in to just Arkansas and the picture shifts: Lowell ranks #31 of 160 Arkansas cities by lowest crime rate, a different read than the national percentile above.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Lowell 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 Lowell near the bottom of Arkansas's cities
Among the 524 Arkansas cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Lowell ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Lowell only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#23 of 495
95th percentile in Arkansas
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 524
0th percentile in Arkansas
Median Home Value
#21 of 482
96th percentile in Arkansas
Poverty Rate
#399 of 524
24th percentile in Arkansas
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#55 of 524
90th 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
73rd percentile nationally for median household income · 68th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Lowell's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Lowell'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 Lowell's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$260,10042nd percentilemore affordable than 42% 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
Lowell's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.8×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#5,572 of 15,516
More affordable than 64% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#651 of 3,317
Small cities (10,000–49,999)
At 2.8×, Lowell sits in the affordable band:
national rank #5,572 of 15,516 and #651 of 3,317small cities (10,000–49,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
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
$92,986Lowell, AR median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Lowell, 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 Lowell, AR.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)29.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)5.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)68.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
10,438
Median Income
$92,986
Median Home Value
$260,100
Median Age
32.1
Poverty Rate
5.9%
Labor force participation
68.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
29.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
897.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
257.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
639.7
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.
Schools
Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Lowell's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
9,946 residents
2021
10,178 residents
2022
11,082 residents
2023
11,500 residents
2024
11,574 residents
2025
12,184 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
241
housing units authorized
Single-Family
171
detached homes
Multifamily
70
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
23.1
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
127
127
0
$41.5M
2020
126
126
0
$34.0M
2021
363
363
0
$88.6M
2022
219
75
144
$47.5M
2023
46
46
0
$18.9M
2024
241
171
70
$71.7M
Permit volume increased 90% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.8%
Carpool
5.5%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.2%
Work from Home
14.9%
Other
0.6%
Based on 5,308 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 Lowell. 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 Lowell 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 Lowell sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Lowell 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, 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.