Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Arkansas instead of Alabama, you would:
Economy
be 82.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Alabama, 2.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Arkansas, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.
Safety
be 53.6% more likely to be a victim of violent crime
Alabama has a violent crime rate of 397 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Arkansas, that number is 610 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 31.4% more likely to be a victim of property crime
Alabama has a property crime rate of 1,671 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Arkansas, that number is 2,195 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 10.1% less for a home
The median home value in Alabama is $195,100 as of 2023, compared to $175,300 in Arkansas as of 2023.
Lifestyle
commute 3.1 minutes less
The average one-way commute in Alabama takes 25.4 minutes as of 2023. In Arkansas, it takes 22.3 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 41.4% less densely populated
Alabama has a population density of 38.9 people per sq km as of 2023. In Arkansas, that number is 22.8 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 50.0% more likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Alabama, 2.2% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Arkansas, that number is 3.3% as of 2023.
be 13.5% more likely to smoke
In Alabama, 17.0% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Arkansas, that number is 19.3% as of 2022.
be 10.3% less likely to have a bachelor's degree
In Alabama, 18.4% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Arkansas, that number is 16.5% as of 2023.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), OECD Regional Demography (2023). How we calculate this
