Building permitsCooling
8,823 · 2026-08
down 1.0% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +11.6%.
New housing units permitted, Benton + Washington, 12-month total. U.S. Census Bureau BPS.
People workingCooling
309,511 · 2026-08
up 3.0% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +3.8%.
Residents with a job, Benton + Washington (BLS LAUS). BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
Unemployment rateHeating
2.91% · 2026-08
down 0.70 pts from a year earlier vs a five-year average of -0.11 pts. A fall here counts as more activity.
Unemployed share of the labor force, Benton + Washington. BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics.
HiringSteady
41,349 · 2025-Q4
down 1.3% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +3.7%.
Private-sector hires, Benton + Washington (Census QWI). Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators.
Home pricesCooling
395.3 (index) · 2026-Q2
up 3.7% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +11.8%.
FHFA all-transactions house price index, Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro. FHFA HPI.
City sales taxCooling
$266.1M · 2026-09
up 1.7% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +2.8%.
City sales tax collections, six largest cities, 12-month total (DFA). Arkansas DFA local distribution by NAICS.
History starts March 2022, so the comparison window is shorter than five years.
Hotels & restaurantsCooling
$5.5M · 2026-08
up 1.9% from a year earlier vs a five-year average of +8.6%.
Fayetteville hotel, motel and restaurant tax, 12-month total. Fayetteville A&P Commission (Experience Fayetteville).
Bentonville's A&P tax has only 19 months on file, too short for this rule; it is shown on the chart instead.
Air travelSteady
2.5M · 2025
up 10.3% from the year before vs a five-year average of +11.9%.
XNA passengers per year. Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA).
Mortgage ratesSteady
7.40% · 2026-10-15
up 1.13 pts from 52 weeks earlier vs a five-year average of +0.70 pts. A fall here counts as more activity.
Freddie Mac 30-year fixed average (national). Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey®.
Jobless claimsSteady
1,122 · 2026-10-10
down 8.9% from 52 weeks earlier vs a five-year average of -7.8%. A fall here counts as more activity.
Arkansas initial unemployment claims, 4-week average (statewide; no county weekly data exists). U.S. Department of Labor, ETA 539.
New businessesSteady
8,321 · 2025
up 6.9% from the year before vs a five-year average of +9.3%.
Business applications filed, Benton + Washington (Census Business Formation Statistics). Census BFS.

Northwest Arkansas · every public record, one place

Northwest Arkansas,
measured weekly.

Home values, businesses, permits, traffic, lending, sales tax and rates for every city and ZIP code in Benton and Washington counties: pulled from the source, charted and dated. Free.

Or browse ZIP codes · cities · reports · every dataset

The 479 by email · free

New data, permits and hearings across Benton and Washington counties, in one short email. Join now and you'll get the first briefing.

10-year Treasury

4.88%

▲ 2bp vs prior day

U.S. Treasury via FRED · 2026-11-09

30-year mortgage

7.18%

▼ 6bp vs last week

Freddie Mac PMMS · 2026-11-05

Core-6 homes authorized, 12 mo

5,657

▼ 7.7% vs prior 12

Census BPS · latest month 236 · 2026-09

Core local sales tax, 12 mo

$266.0M

▲ 1.1% vs prior 12

Arkansas DFA local distributions · 2026-08

Chart of the Day

the Chart Book, 8 charts →

Lending · data through 2025

Home-loan originations rose in both counties in 2025: Benton 12.0%, Washington 9.0%

What happened: Lenders made 10,608 loans in Benton County and 6,230 in Washington County in 2025 (2024: 9,475 and 5,718).
Why it matters: Loan counts are a cleaner read on home buying and refinancing than dollar totals, which a few very large loans can distort (see the corrections log).
What to watch: 2026 HMDA data is released next summer.

Mortgage loans originated: Benton County (HMDA) vs Mortgage loans originated: Washington County (HMDA)

Source: CFPB / FFIEC HMDA. As of 2025. Chart: The 479 Report.

Data through 2025 · Free to reuse with the credit line. · Corrections

Source: CFPB / FFIEC HMDA · See corrections

Sixteen years of the 479's registers

DFA local net tax distributions · monthly · 2010 → 2026-08

Local sales-tax distributions by Core city

What the state sends each city from local sales & use tax, the cleanest public read on retail activity. Opens as a 12-month total so seasons and lumpy checks don't hide the trend.

Source: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, Local Net Tax Distribution Reports (public). Month = DFA report month (about two months after the sales). Compiled by The 479 Report; no interpolation.

Data through 2026-08 · Free to reuse with the credit line. · Corrections

Whose registers are growing

all 31 cities →

Fastest, trailing 12 months

Rank	City	12-month change
#1	Gravette	+33.8%
#2	Greenland	+32.5%
#3	Springtown	+23.6%

Slowest, trailing 12 months

Rank	City	12-month change
#31	Gentry	-9.4%
#30	Avoca	-4.1%
#29	Springdale	-2.9%

Local sales-tax distributions, twelve months to 2026-08 vs the twelve before. Arkansas DFA. A new local tax or rate change moves a city on its own.

Explore the 479

public data, updated automatically

Site reportAny addressone printable page: city, ZIP, traffic, permits, rates Recorded sales5,023Washington County deeds with a price, last 12 months What's selling+6.1%restaurant & hotel sales tax, core six cities, 12 months Development pipeline29 casesheaded to a Fayetteville hearing, rezonings to plats ZIP code profiles31 ZIPshome values, businesses, roads and buyers, each Businesses by ZIP14,069business locations, +15.4% since 2018 Growth LabElm Springs +22.0%sales-tax growth speeding up most (12 months)People & migration603,767residents, +13.9% since 2020 Jobs & money311,600jobs in the metro, 2026-09 Traffic counts120,000cars a day on I-49 in Rogers Growth Pressure ScorePea Ridge 80where development pressure is building Home values by ZIP+3.7%NWA home values, year to Q2 2026 (FHFA index)Mortgage lending15.4%of 2025 home-purchase loans went to investors Data calendarNov 10next: Inflation (CPI)Data Center91 sources19 datasets, each with its source, freshness and downloads

New in the data

every update →

Nov 2Local sales tax by city · Core 6 cities collected $266.0M in local sales tax over 12 months to Aug 2026 (+1.1%); fastest growth: Gravette +33.8%.
Nov 2Homes permitted · Core 6 cities permitted 5,657 homes over the 12 months to Sep 2026 (Census).
Nov 2Owner-user purchases (SBA 504) · New data: loans businesses use to buy their own buildings, through 2026-09-30.
Oct 27Home values by ZIP and county · NWA home values +3.7% over the 12 months to Q2 2026 (FHFA index).

The 479, city by city

Shaded by 2010→2020 census growth. Click a labeled city for its page.

Population growth 2010→2020shrank0–15%15–30%30–60%60%+

City limits: NWARPC public GIS. Populations: 2020 and 2010 Census counts (U.S. Census Bureau).

This month, by city

homes authorized 2026-09 · local tax 2026-08

City	Homes authorized	of which multifamily	Declared value	Local sales tax	y/y
Fayetteville	81	41	$19.92M	$6.15M	+0.8%
Springdale	5	0	$1.67M	$4.48M	-6.2%
Rogers	40	6	$8.59M	$5.78M	+6.6%
Bentonville	25	6	$8.63M	$4.50M	-5.2%
Siloam Springs	17	2	$3.89M	$1.10M	-7.8%
Bella Vista	68	0	$26.67M	$930,938	+15.4%

Homes authorized: U.S. Census Building Permits Survey (residential units, place-level, monthly). Local sales tax: Arkansas DFA local net distributions. Both public record; every row traceable in the data pages.

What's moving

69 cards →

City agendas last updated Oct 25 (16 days ago). Newer hearings will appear when the next batch is in.

Siloam Springs · hearing Oct 13

Siloam Springs — Hwy 412 E rezone A-1 to C-2 Roadway Commercial

RZ26-09 (owner (name withheld); agent Boen-Kemp Construction) on the Oct 13 PC agenda: rezone in the 3900 block of E Hwy 412 from A-1 Agriculture to C-2 Roadway Commercial; staff report states 0.53 acres; to Board of Dir…

Siloam Springs PC packet Oct 13 2026 · as of 2026-10-09

Siloam Springs · hearing Oct 13

Siloam Springs — 10,398 sq ft gym at Camp Siloam, 3600 S Lincoln St

SD26-04 Significant Development Permit (owner Arkansas Baptist Assembly; Minton Engineering) on the Oct 13 PC agenda: 10,398 sq. ft. gymnasium facility for recreation use at Camp Siloam.

Siloam Springs PC packet Oct 13 2026 · as of 2026-10-09

On the docket

calendar →

Date	City	Meeting	Agenda
Nov 10 4:30 PM	Fayetteville	Tentative: City Council Agenda Session	posted
Nov 10 5:30 PM	Fayetteville	Tentative: Water, Sewer & Solid Waste Committee (Immediately Following City Council Agenda Session)	not yet
Nov 10 6:00 PM	Bentonville	Combined Committee of the Whole and City Council Meeting	posted
Nov 10 6:30 PM	Rogers	City Council Meeting	not yet
Nov 16 6:00 PM	Bella Vista	City Council Work Session	posted
Nov 17 4:30 PM	Bentonville	Planning Commission Meeting	posted

City meeting calendars, checked Oct 30. Past agendas and every item: hearings.

Bentonville permits issued · 2026-09

114

$26.50M declared · largest $7.53M

City of Bentonville monthly Permits Issued (printed valuations). Other Core cities: coverage status.

The national backdrop

all series + charts →

2-year Treasury

4.56%

▲ 5bp vs prior day

U.S. Treasury via FRED · 2026-11-09

SOFR

3.88%

▼ 1bp vs prior day

New York Fed (via FRED) · 2026-11-09

CRE loan delinquency

1.53%

FRED, all commercial banks · 2026-Q2

NWA unemployment (SA)

3.10%

BLS via FRED, MSA · 2026-09

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