Cabot vs Little Rock

Which is the better fit for you?

Cabot, AR
68
Area Score
Top 21% nationally
Little Rock, AR
59
Area Score
Top 49% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Cabot receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Cabot to Little Rock

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 89.5 against 89.5 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,147 in Little Rock against $1,147 in Cabot.
The median home
14% more
$236,400 in Little Rock against $207,300 in Cabot.
The weather you would swap
Winters 1°F colder
Normal January lows are 31°F in Little Rock against 32°F in Cabot; July highs are 92°F against 91°F (summers 1°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Cabot
Little Rock
Opportunity: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
77 · Top 13%
vs
68 · Top 27%
Growth: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
77 · Top 7%
vs
56 · Top 37%
Climate: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
68 · Bottom 42%
vs
66 · Bottom 38%
Physical resilience: Little Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
34 · Bottom 27%
vs
44 · Bottom 34%
Housing affordability: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
74 · Top 28%
vs
73 · Top 30%
Schools: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
75 · Top 18%
vs
38 · Bottom 35%
Access: Little Rock is the more favorable of the two.
Access
88 · Bottom 34%
vs
90 · Bottom 42%
Economic stability: Cabot is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
56 · Bottom 47%
vs
37 · Bottom 17%

Measured values

MetricCabotLittle RockSource period
Population26,960203,4362024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$75,000 — more favorable$63,0032024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$34,609$43,712 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,299/sq mi1,678/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$207,300$236,4002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$1,110 ±$62$1,106 ±$222024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,147$1,147FY2026
Cost of living index89.589.52023
Homeownership rate68.8%53.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate3.7% — more favorable4.4%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)+2.2%+2.2%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher25.9%44.6% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.7% — more favorable16.9%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)12862812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents4.7 — more favorable3.112 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+36.2%−35.9%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high91°F92°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low32°F31°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation51.8"50.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport20 mi8 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute30.4 min20.2 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age34.335.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools16722024-25 school year
Students per teacher16.114.6 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency61.4% — more favorable42.5%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency52.8% — more favorable40.9%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility49.0%71.3%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

One row above shows both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Physical risk tradeoff

Cabot

Elevated or high exposure: ice storm, inland flooding.

Little Rock

Elevated or high exposure: ice storm, inland flooding.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Cabot
—
Cabot: Your Score
68
Area Score
Little Rock
—
Little Rock: Your Score
59
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Cabot, AR · Little Rock, AR · How this is calculated: methodology