Northwest Arkansas residents continue to experience a good quality of life in the region.

• The majority of respondents (64%) rated their overall quality of life as “excellent” or “very good” in 2023.   
• 37% of respondents said their quality of life had “increased” or “significantly increased” compared to a year ago. 

Residents’ ratings of their quality of life remain above the 2012 level (59%). But ratings have gradually declined from 2015, when 72% of respondents rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good,” and 2018 when 67% of respondents rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good.”

Respondents say that the top drivers of quality of life include career progession, better financial situation and improved health. On the flip side, the top reasons cited for a decrease in quality of life included the rising cost of living, an unfavorable political climate and the perceived worsening state of the economy.

Quality-of-life ratings are fairly consistent across various subgroups and showed little variation based on a respondent’s gender, race/ethnicity, geography or length of residency in the region.

However, considerable differences in quality-of-life ratings appeared based on a respondent’s income level—higher income respondents rated their quality of life more positively than lower income respondents. In 2023, 85% of respondents making $100,000 or more in annual household income rated their quality of life as “excellent” or “very good,” compared to only 55% of respondents making less than $100,000.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report, July 2024

Recreational areas and arts and cultural activities were the highest-rated characteristics of Northwest Arkansas. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) rated these amenities as “excellent” or “very good” and 80% can access them easily. Safety also ranked highly with 62% of respondents rating it “excellent” or “very good” and 79% indicating they have access to safe places to live and work.

Conversely, transportation and housing options were the lowest-rated characteristics. Less than a quarter of respondents rated transportation (18%) and housing options (23%) as “excellent” or “very good,” and around half of respondents rated them “poor” or “fair.”

Only a third of respondents rated infrastructure and early childhood care/education as “excellent” or “very good.”

These results suggest that residents are mostly satisfied with the many amenities the region has to offer but not some of the more fundamental elements of the physical infrastructure. While these amenities are often touted as major assets, the growing challenges in housing, transportation and physical infrastructure may be starting to counteract and negatively impact residents’ overall quality of life.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report, July 2024

Northwest Arkansas residents experience strong community connections. The majority of respondents (66%) feel “completely” or “mostly” like they are a part of the community and (70%) trust others in the community. A significant majority of respondents (74%) feel hopeful about the future of the community and expect to be part of it for a long time.

However, only about half of respondents (54%) think the community has good leaders. Even fewer (27%) feel like they have influence over what the community is like.

These sentiments are mostly consistent across different subgroups, with one exception. Higher income residents ($100,000+ household income) seem to be more hopeful (83%) about the future of the community than lower income residents (69%) making less than $100,000.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report, July 2024

Northwest Arkansas residents are highly engaged and invested in their community. They most commonly engage by investing their money and time in local organizations through donations (82%,) volunteering (70%,) participating in events (64%) and owning a home (74%.) All of these are above the national averages as reported in a recent study by the Urban Institute.

Just under half (49%) worked with fellow residents to make change and 39% owned or invested in a local business. These were also higher than the national average.

Attending a public meeting was the only area where Northwest Arkansas fell below the national average.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report, July 2024

One of the overarching goals of the Walton Family Foundation’s strategic plan for Northwest Arkansas is to foster inclusive growth and a sense of belonging for all residents. To assess these sentiments among residents, respondents were asked about their feelings and experiences in Northwest Arkansas.

Northwest Arkansas residents value living in a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Eighty-two percent of respondents said it is important to live in a community that makes residents of all demographic and cultural identities feel included. Almost three-quarters (74%) said living in an equitable community is important and 71% said living in a diverse community is important.

Source: Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey Report, July 2024

The Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey was designed to provide a broad overview of residents’ perceptions of quality of life in the region, with particular attention to the foundation’s key strategies. The results of this latest poll show that overall, the rate of positive perceptions about the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas is high, but not as high as it was in 2018 or 2015. Moreover, fewer residents reported increases in their quality of life over the past year and more reported decreases than in previous years. Even so, residents reported high levels of community engagement as well as strong community connections and feelings of inclusion and belonging. Further research is needed to determine if these sentiments are felt among underrepresented populations and communities as well.