People & migration · Census 2025 · IRS 2022-2023
Who's moving here, and what they bring
Every tenant, customer and employee starts as a household that decided to live here. The Census counts how many; IRS tax returns show where they came from and the income they brought with them.
| City | 2020 census | 2025 | Since 2020 | Last year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville | 94,309 | 106,623 | +13.1% | +2.8% |
| Springdale | 87,320 | 90,685 | +3.9% | +1.2% |
| Rogers | 69,660 | 76,956 | +10.5% | +1.9% |
| Bentonville | 54,213 | 63,057 | +16.3% | +1.8% |
| Bella Vista | 30,092 | 34,518 | +14.7% | +3.7% |
| Centerton | 17,871 | 27,176 | +52.1% | +5.7% |
| Siloam Springs | 17,400 | 21,298 | +22.4% | +5.4% |
| Lowell | 9,866 | 12,184 | +23.5% | +5.3% |
| Pea Ridge | 6,613 | 11,233 | +69.9% | +10.2% |
| Farmington | 7,588 | 10,658 | +40.5% | +1.4% |
| Prairie Grove | 7,062 | 8,998 | +27.4% | +4.3% |
| Tontitown | 4,285 | 8,046 | +87.8% | +1.0% |
| Cave Springs | 5,761 | 6,701 | +16.3% | +1.8% |
| Gentry | 3,801 | 4,899 | +28.9% | +4.6% |
| Elkins | 3,599 | 4,184 | +16.3% | +3.7% |
| Gravette | 3,554 | 3,889 | +9.4% | +1.6% |
| Johnson | 3,598 | 3,684 | +2.4% | -0.7% |
| Highfill | 1,590 | 3,676 | +131.2%boundary? | +30.6% |
| Little Flock | 3,053 | 3,039 | -0.5% | +0.1% |
| Elm Springs | 2,370 | 2,852 | +20.3% | -1.0% |
| Goshen | 2,098 | 2,405 | +14.6% | +0.6% |
| West Fork | 2,343 | 2,373 | +1.3% | -0.4% |
| Lincoln | 2,285 | 2,370 | +3.7% | -0.6% |
| Eureka Springs | 2,176 | 2,258 | +3.8% | +2.1% |
| Decatur | 1,790 | 1,893 | +5.8% | +9.4% |
| Greenland | 1,542 | 1,544 | +0.1% | -1.2% |
| Garfield | 600 | 631 | +5.2% | +1.3% |
| Avoca | 485 | 545 | +12.4% | +8.8% |
| Sulphur Springs | 489 | 483 | -1.2% | -0.2% |
| Gateway | 433 | 457 | +5.5% | +1.3% |
| Winslow | 366 | 362 | -1.1% | -1.4% |
| Springtown | 84 | 93 | +10.7% | +3.3% |
July 1 estimates; base_2020 is the April 2020 census base the Bureau estimates from. Estimates are revised each year. Highfill more than doubled, which in a small town usually means it annexed land (moved its boundary), so it's left out of the chart.
Who moves in, year by year
IRS · tax years 2017-2018 to 2022-2023
Where Benton County's newcomers come from
IRS · tax years 2022-2023
| County | People in | People out | Net | Income in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benton | 19,752 | 14,937 | +4,815 | $852M |
| Washington | 14,312 | 12,891 | +1,421 | $520M |
Average income per arriving household in Benton County: $79,115, against $76,886 for households leaving. Movers between Benton and Washington count on both sides; the two counties' nets together are the region's gain.
Net households by state, Benton County
| State | In | Out | Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 467 | 100 | +367 |
| CO | 212 | 54 | +158 |
| TX | 682 | 549 | +133 |
| TN | 93 | 25 | +68 |
| FL | 100 | 45 | +55 |
| OK | 440 | 392 | +48 |
| AZ | 104 | 65 | +39 |
| UT | 81 | 50 | +31 |
Counts only the county-to-county flows the IRS names (20 or more returns each), so state totals understate small flows.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025); IRS Statistics of Income, county-to-county migration data, tax years 2022-2023. Moves between tax years, from returns filed in both years. Households = returns; people = exemptions; income = adjusted gross income (AGI) of the movers in the second year. The IRS folds flows under 20 returns into 'Other flows'. Market commentary, not advice.
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