Should I Move To
Little Rock, Arkansas comes in at about 202,218 residents. Cost of living comes out very affordable — 18% below the national average. Rent typically lands near $1,006/mo, and the median household income is about $58,697. Overall, 38/100 on our composite score, which works out to a F, putting it at #844 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 82 (with 100 as the US baseline) — that's very affordable territory. With median rent at $1,006/mo and median household income at $58,697, housing takes about 21% of gross income — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Homes typically value around $205,800.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →Expect four-season weather — summers near 90°F, winters around 33°F. Rain (and snow, in some seasons) totals about 50 inches annually. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life. 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 is moderate (AQI 50).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
Little Rock is a tougher sell for families. It earns 50/100 (grade C-) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (93/100); weakest on safety (2/100).
Little Rock is a tougher sell for retirees. It earns 45/100 (grade D) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (93/100); weakest on safety (2/100).
Little Rock is a tougher sell for remote workers. It earns 51/100 (grade C-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (93/100); weakest on safety (2/100).
Little Rock is a tougher sell for young professionals. It earns 43/100 (grade D) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (93/100); weakest on safety (2/100).
Little Rock, Arkansas pulls a 38/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade F), currently ranked #844 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Little Rock's cost-of-living index is 82 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 18% below the national average. Median rent runs about $1,006/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 90°F, winter averages around 33°F, with about 50 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 11/100. Built around the car — walking isn't really an option for daily life.
Little Rock has about 202,218 residents, 44% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 37.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Little Rock 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 Little Rock 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 Little Rock with other Arkansas cities scored on UrbRank.
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