Should I Move To
Fayetteville, Arkansas comes in at about 95,022 residents. Cost of living comes out affordable — 14% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $944/mo, and the median household income is about $56,881. Overall, 55/100 on our composite score, which works out to a C-, putting it at #328 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Inverse of violent + property crime rate per 100,000 residents.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
Cost-of-living index of 86 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's affordable territory. With median rent at $944/mo and median household income at $56,881, housing takes about 20% of gross income — comfortably under the 30% rule of thumb, which is unusual. Homes typically value around $291,300.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 92°F, winters around 30°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 41 inches annually. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car. Crime statistics are on the rougher end of the US distribution; the citywide aggregate hides safer pockets but the headline number isn't great. Air quality reads good (AQI 41).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
On the families profile, Fayetteville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (89/100); weakest on safety (16/100).
On the retirees profile, Fayetteville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 61/100 (grade C+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (89/100); weakest on safety (16/100).
On the remote workers profile, Fayetteville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 65/100 (grade B-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (89/100); weakest on safety (16/100).
On the young professionals profile, Fayetteville sits squarely in the middle. It earns 55/100 (grade C) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (89/100); weakest on safety (16/100).
Fayetteville, Arkansas pulls a 55/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade C-), currently ranked #328 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Fayetteville's cost-of-living index is 86 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the affordable band — 14% below the national average. Median rent runs about $944/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 92°F, winter averages around 30°F, with about 41 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 74/100. Very walkable in most central neighborhoods — daily errands rarely require a car.
Fayetteville has about 95,022 residents, 51% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 29.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Fayetteville head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Fayetteville stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Fayetteville with other Arkansas cities scored on UrbRank.
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