What it's like to live in Mountain Home
Mountain Home is a small city in Arkansas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, commutes that run shorter than most cities, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mountain Home deals with household incomes below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, and above-average rainfall.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Mountain Home compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mountain Home
Based on Mountain Home's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,730
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $34,600 a year
- 50% of Mountain Home renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$33,960
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $16,980
- Homes cost 4.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 39% below US
$865/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $865 a month. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $169,800. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $169,800 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.4% county unemployment
Unemployment in Baxter County is 4.4%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Baxter County (county-wide)
SafetyNear US average
356 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 2285/100k · Mountain Home Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 49% below US
13 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 13.2 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 88°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 28°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 2.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 36% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Buffalo National River (36 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mountain Home's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and a poverty rate above the national average. A year of median rent ($865/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Mountain Home
All Arkansas guides →Moving to Harrison →
41 mi away · pop. 13,350
Rent $753/mo · Income $44,056
Compare with Mountain Home →Moving to Batesville →
58 mi away · pop. 11,445
Rent $882/mo · Income $51,856
Compare with Mountain Home →Moving to Russellville →
84 mi away · pop. 29,162
Rent $842/mo · Income $50,877
Compare with Mountain Home →Not sure Mountain Home is the one?
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