Best PlacesJohnson County, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Johnson County, 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.
Johnson County ranks 2,708th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Johnson County
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.
Johnson County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Johnson County ranks high
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 93% of counties
- Short commute19.3 minutes each way, better than 83% of counties
- Tree shadeBetter than 82% of counties
- State fiscal healthBetter than 82% of counties
- Air qualityBetter than 80% of counties
Where Johnson County ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of counties
- Household income$50,220 median, better than only 9% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 10% of counties
- QuietBetter than only 14% of counties
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 17% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Johnson County
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Johnson County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $50,220, 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 Johnson County's effective rate of 0.51%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Johnson County
Johnson County's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Johnson County.
Who works in Johnson County, and how
Work in Johnson County centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Johnson County
Johnson County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Johnson County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Johnson County growing, and who is moving in?
Johnson County has grown about 1% over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Jackson County, AR.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Johnson County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Johnson County, month by month
Johnson County sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 39° | 30° |
| April | 74° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 77° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of Johnson County
The nearest airport, Fort Smith Regional, is about 51 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 200 miles away.
The best schools in and around Johnson County
Schools across Johnson County average a C−, better than 19% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Paris Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Lamar Elementary SchoolC · 34% proficient
- London Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Russellville Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Ozark Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Paris Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Scranton High SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Russellville High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Ozark High SchoolC · 31% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Johnson County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Johnson County 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 Johnson County against the other 3,143 counties.
Who Johnson County suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Johnson County
Is Johnson County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Johnson County ranks 2,708th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and tree cover, and lowest on civic engagement and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Johnson County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $137,959. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $50,220 median income, cost of living beats 10% of counties.
Is Johnson County safe?
Johnson County is safer than 51% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $509 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Johnson County?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 51 with lows near 30. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 25% of counties.
Is Johnson County good for families?
Schools beat 19% of counties, crime safety beats 51%, and childcare runs $481 a month.
Compare Johnson County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Johnson County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Johnson County 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.
Johnson County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Johnson County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Johnson County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Johnson County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Johnson County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Johnson County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.