Located in the heart of the beautiful Ozark Mountains, Northwest Arkansas has one of the most affordable costs of living in the nation. Consistently ranked as one of the Best Places to Live in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, the region has plentiful outdoor lifestyle perks, including 500+ miles of bike trails, a nationally ranked arts, culture and food scene, and per capita incomes that are 18% higher than the national average.
REGION BY THE NUMBERS
605,615
POPULATION
The 96th largest MSA in the U.S.
38
POPULATION GROWTH SINCE 2010
NWA now adds an estimated 38 people per day
29
INCREASED ETHNIC & RACIAL DIVERSITY
On pace to reach 32% diverse by 2026
Fortune 500 Companies
Best Places for Business
Northwest Arkansas ranked No. 40 on a Forbes list of best places for business and careers. The region was No. 10 in job growth.Â
Best Places to Live
In the 2025–2026 U.S. News & World Report rankings, Rogers was listed at No. 26, Springdale at No. 47 and Fayetteville at No. 75, reflecting a new approach that evaluates individual cities rather than the metro area as a whole.
Best-Performing City
The Milken Institute ranked Northwest Arkansas at No. 7 on its list of the nation’s Best-Performing Cities in 2025
Mountain Biking Capital of the World
Northwest Arkansas includes 570 miles of natural surface trails for mountain biking and 211 miles of paved paths, connected by the Razorback Regional Greenway.
Educational Excellence
8 Northwest Arkansas high schools rank among the top 10% in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. 7 of the 10 best high schools in Arkansas are in Benton or Washington counties in NWA.
Northwest Arkansas Ranks No. 36 Among Most Dynamic Metros in U.S.Â
Research released in 2025 by Heartland Forward ranked NWA No. 36 on its list of the most economically dynamic cities in America and No. 6 in the Heartland.
27 Nonstop Flights to Destinations Across the U.S.
Offered by Northwest Arkansas National Airport from the East Coast to the West Coast and several cities in between.
R1 ranking from Carnegie Foundation
puts the university in an elite category of only 3.7% of public and private universities recognized for high levels of research-focused activities. U of A’s undergraduate supply chain management program ranked No. 1 in the nation by Gartner.
12 million visitors from all over the world
have flocked to Crystal Bridges as the nation’s first major American Art museum to open in more than a decade. The museum recently announced a new 100,000-square-foot expansion.
5-year strategy announced in 2021 to provide more than $2 billion
in philanthropic support championing community-driven change given by the Walton Family Foundation.
Alice Walton founded the Heartland Whole Health Institute in 2020
with a vision to transform the approach to health and well-being. The following year, it was announced the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine will open in Northwest Arkansas, welcoming its inaugural class in 2025.
