Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Alabama instead of Arkansas, you would:
Economy
be 45.2% less likely to be unemployed
In Arkansas, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Alabama, that number is 2.3% as of 2025.
Safety
be 34.9% less likely to be a victim of violent crime
Arkansas has a violent crime rate of 610 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 397 per 100,000 as of 2023.
be 23.9% less likely to be a victim of property crime
Arkansas has a property crime rate of 2,195 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 1,671 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Housing & Income
pay 11.3% more for a home
The median home value in Arkansas is $175,300 as of 2023, compared to $195,100 in Alabama as of 2023.
Lifestyle
be 11.9% less likely to smoke
In Arkansas, 19.3% of adults smoke as of 2022. In Alabama, that number is 17.0% as of 2022.
be 11.5% more likely to have a bachelor's degree
In Arkansas, 16.5% of the population holds a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 18.4% as of 2023.
commute 3.1 minutes longer
The average one-way commute in Arkansas takes 22.3 minutes as of 2023. In Alabama, it takes 25.4 minutes as of 2023.
live in an area that is 70.6% more densely populated
Arkansas has a population density of 22.8 people per sq km as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 38.9 people per sq km as of 2023.
be 33.3% less likely to have a foreign-born neighbor
In Arkansas, 3.3% of the population was born outside the US as of 2023. In Alabama, that number is 2.2% 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
