Best PlacesJohn Barrow, Little Rock, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around John Barrow, Little Rock, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
John Barrow, Little Rock ranks 5,099th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and distance from a big city ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in John Barrow, Little Rock
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
John Barrow, Little Rock's strengths and weaknesses
Where John Barrow, Little Rock ranks high
- Cheap childcare$671 a month, better than 96% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- State fiscal healthBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
- Short commute19.0 minutes each way, better than 85% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 69% of neighborhoods
Where John Barrow, Little Rock ranks low
- Big-city accessBetter than only 3% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 12% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in John Barrow, Little Rock
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median John Barrow, Little Rock home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,557, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses John Barrow, Little Rock's effective rate of 0.78%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in John Barrow, Little Rock
John Barrow, Little Rock's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for John Barrow, Little Rock.
Who works in John Barrow, Little Rock, and how
Work in John Barrow, Little Rock centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in John Barrow, Little Rock
John Barrow, Little Rock has more parkland per resident than 71% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of John Barrow, Little Rock and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in John Barrow, Little Rock, month by month
John Barrow, Little Rock sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 42° | 33° |
| April | 75° | 63° | 53° |
| July | 93° | 83° | 74° |
| October | 77° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of John Barrow, Little Rock
The nearest airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton Ntl/Adams Field, is about 9 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 138 miles away.
The best schools in and around John Barrow, Little Rock
Schools across John Barrow, Little Rock average a D+, better than 20% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Forest Heights Stem AcademyB+ · 50% proficient
- Arkansas Virtual AcademyC− · 25% proficient
- Terry Elementary SchoolD · 17% proficient
Top middle schools
- Arkansas Virtual Academy JrC · 33% proficient
- Mabelvale Middle SchoolF · 9% proficient
- Cloverdale Middle SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top high schools
- Central High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Parkview Magnet High SchoolC− · 26% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every John Barrow, Little Rock school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
John Barrow, Little Rock measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare John Barrow, Little Rock against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in John Barrow, Little Rock
Is John Barrow, Little Rock a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, John Barrow, Little Rock ranks 5,099th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on affordable childcare, tree cover, and state finances, and lowest on distance from a big city and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is John Barrow, Little Rock expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $156,316. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $57,557 median income, cost of living beats 36% of neighborhoods.
Is John Barrow, Little Rock safe?
John Barrow, Little Rock is safer than 26% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $951 per resident a year.
Compare John Barrow, Little Rock with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to John Barrow, Little Rock. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in John Barrow, Little Rock represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
John Barrow, Little Rock detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for John Barrow, Little Rock: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in John Barrow, Little Rock: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of John Barrow, Little Rock: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in John Barrow, Little Rock: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
John Barrow, Little Rock detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.