Bentonville, AR — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Arkansas·Bentonville

Benton County · Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers · population 61,791

InvestorsGrowing fast
Bentonville, AR
Image: Wikipedia · Bentonville, Arkansas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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82
Hot
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Bentonville stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 4.0% in the last year. averaging 9.6% annual growth over 5 years. population growing 3.3% per year.

Median home $487,573
1-year +4.0%
5-yr CAGR +9.6%
vs 5-yr peak -0.3%
Population +3.3%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-02$488k$195k$299k$404k$509k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
78/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,607/mo$1,064$1,384$1,703202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent158142100120140160202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 25.3
Rent

At a 25.3 price-to-rent ratio, renting beats buying in Bentonville for most shorter holds. The premium you pay to own would take many years of rent savings to recoup, and that's before maintenance, taxes, and opportunity cost on the down payment.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
70 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
86 · w22%
Distance from peak
88 · w18%
Population growth
90 · w16%
Rent YoY
73 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
84 · w10%
Long thesis

Bentonville has been growing population at 3.3% per year while home values compounded +9.6% annually. Demand-driven appreciation — the kind that persists as long as people keep showing up, which they currently are.

Short thesis

Bentonville's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Bentonville

Bentonville is a city in Benton County, Arkansas, with an estimated population of 61,791. It anchors the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area. The population has grown 3.3% per year on average between 2020 and 2024 — among the faster-growing communities in the state. The median home value in Bentonville is $487,573 as of 2026-04, up 4.0% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +9.6% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Bentonville average $1,607 per month, up 4.2% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 82 of 100 (Hot). Buyers should expect competition and limited negotiation room in this market.

▲ Bull case

●Multi-year compounder: home values up an average 9.6% per year over the last 5 years — sustained, not a one-year pop.
●People are voting with their feet: population growing 3.3% per year since 2020 — that’s faster than ~80% of US cities.
●Quiet strength: +4.0% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently -0.3% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Bentonville (Wikipedia)

Bentonville is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Arkansas, United States. The city is centrally located in the county with Rogers adjacent to the east. The city proper had a population of 54,164 at the 2020 census, making it the ninth-most populous city in Arkansas. It is one of the four main cities in the three-county Northwest Arkansas metropolitan area, with 546,725 residents in 2020.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

MayorStephanie Orman
Area34.25 sq mi
Elevation1266 ft
IncorporatedApril 3, 1873
Density1590.72/sq mi
Named forOriginally Osage Indians Thomas Hart Benton

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

Expect competition, escalation clauses, and pressure to waive inspections. Make your strongest offer up front — Hot markets reward decisiveness, not negotiation. If you can't write a clean offer, you may not be the best fit for this market right now.

Seller

Price slightly above recent comps and let multiple offers work. Days-on-market should be short. Don't accept the first offer in the first 48 hours unless it's significantly above ask.

Investor

Cap rates will look ugly in a Hot market — your thesis has to be appreciation, not yield. Don't expect cash flow; expect to ride the trend and exit before it stalls.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Benton County right now.

NWS active alerts (AR)Arkansas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Benton County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Bentonville

Rogers, AR78 · HotFayetteville, AR77 · RisingCave Springs, AR82 · HotSpringdale, AR75 · Rising

Run the numbers for Bentonville

ToolCan I afford Bentonville?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Bentonville rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Bentonville to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBentonville cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
49° / 30°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
92° / 70°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
217
~59% of year
Annual precip
50″ rain
5″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Moderate
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Bentonville listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
70%
Humid climate
Median household income
$55,400
Arkansas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Retail (Walmart HQ)ManufacturingHealthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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