Bentonville vs Little Rock
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $236,400 in Little Rock and $428,500 in Bentonville.
- Households earn more in Bentonville ($112,792 vs $63,003 median).
- Little Rock has the warmer winter: January highs of 51°F vs 46°F.
- Little Rock has more scorching days: 76 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 46.
- Bentonville is growing faster: +16.3% since 2020 vs +1.9%.
Side by side
| Bentonville, AR | Little Rock, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 63,057 | 206,427 |
| Growth since 2020 | +16.3% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 1,778 | 1,703 |
| Median age | 32.5 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 55% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $112,792 | $63,003 |
| Median home value | $428,500 | $236,400 |
| Home value to income | 3.8× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,344 | $1,106 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.4 | 89.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 76.9 | 68.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,500 | $67,000 |
| Homeowners | 50% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | 3.9% | 3.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.48% | 9.48% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.0 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 20% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.1% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 5.2% | 17.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 46° / 24° | 51° / 31° |
| July high / low | 89° / 67° | 92° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 47 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 10 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 46 | 76 |
| Nights below freezing | 101 | 50 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 88.7 | 96.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 83% | 31% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.7% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +58.1% | +37.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Bentonville: September to October. Little Rock: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Bentonville weather by month and Little Rock weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $68,500 in Bentonville and $67,000 in Little Rock. Moving from Bentonville to Little Rock, you would need about $73,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Bentonville and Little Rock
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Bentonville and Little Rock.
Which would you pick?
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