Knoxville vs Springdale
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $239,700 in Knoxville and $261,800 in Springdale.
- Households earn more in Springdale ($69,787 vs $54,039 median).
- Knoxville is growing faster: +6% since 2020 vs +3.9%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Arkansas's top rate is 3.9%.
Side by side
| Knoxville, TN | Springdale, AR | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 202,021 | 90,685 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6% | +3.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,046 | 1,822 |
| Median age | 33.5 | 32.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35% | 24% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $54,039 | $69,787 |
| Median home value | $239,700 | $261,800 |
| Home value to income | 4.4× | 3.8× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,191 | $1,071 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.6 | 91.4 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 82.8 | 76.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,400 | $68,500 |
| Homeowners | 47% | 53% |
| Top state income tax | None | 3.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.61% | 9.48% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 20.2 | 19.3 |
| Work from home | 13% | 8% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Poverty rate | 20.2% | 13.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 30° | 48° / 25° |
| July high / low | 88° / 69° | 89° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 52 in | 47 in |
| Snowfall per year | 5 in | 7 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 37 | 40 |
| Nights below freezing | 67 | 94 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 92.1 | 92.3 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 83% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.9% | +3.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +63.5% | +58.1% |
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: Knoxville: May to June and September to October. Springdale: June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Knoxville weather by month and Springdale weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,400 in Knoxville and $68,500 in Springdale. Moving from Knoxville to Springdale, you would need about $74,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Which would you pick?
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