Dallas vs Little Rock
The short version
- Little Rock is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 13% lower than in the Dallas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $236,400 in Little Rock and $320,700 in Dallas.
- Households earn more in Dallas ($70,518 vs $63,003 median).
- Dallas has the warmer winter: January highs of 58°F vs 51°F.
- Dallas has more scorching days: 108 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 76.
- Commutes are shorter in Little Rock (19 vs 26 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Arkansas's top rate is 3.9%.
Side by side
| Dallas, TX | Little Rock, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 1,329,491 | 206,427 |
| Growth since 2020 | +1.9% | +1.9% |
| People per square mile | 3,914 | 1,703 |
| Median age | 33.4 | 35.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $70,518 | $63,003 |
| Median home value | $320,700 | $236,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.5× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,472 | $1,106 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.1 | 89.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 117.9 | 68.3 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,300 | $67,000 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 54% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 9.48% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.7 | 18.5 |
| Work from home | 16% | 12% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 4.1% |
| Poverty rate | 16.7% | 17.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 58° / 38° | 51° / 31° |
| July high / low | 97° / 78° | 92° / 71° |
| Precipitation per year | 38 in | 50 in |
| Snowfall per year | 2 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 108 | 76 |
| Nights below freezing | 23 | 50 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 2 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 96.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 28% | 31% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.5% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.4% | +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: Dallas: March to April and November. Little Rock: September to October.
Full monthly tables: Dallas 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 $77,300 in Dallas and $67,000 in Little Rock. Moving from Dallas to Little Rock, you would need about $65,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Dallas 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 Dallas and Little Rock.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.