Fayetteville, Arkansas Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Fayetteville, AR Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around average
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D
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 86,772 | 3,049,066 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 1545.8 | 57.3 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 3.04% | 0.32% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 25.9 | 36.8 | 37.3 |
| Households | 35,686 | 1,205,703 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Fayetteville grew by 40.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 86,772 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Fayetteville is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 39.9% of residents. That is 18.4 points above Arkansas as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 34,648 39.9% +18.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 17,995 20.7% -0.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 12,327 14.2% -5.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 8,314 9.6% -8.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Arkansas, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 49.9% of the people living in Fayetteville and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Arkansas 50.6%
- Men 50.1% Arkansas 49.4%
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Economy
Fayetteville has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,376 | $60,940 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.71% | 4.58% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | 4.9% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Fayetteville is about 3% lower than in Arkansas.
Housing
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $154,899 | $111,957 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,043 | $947 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 38.2% | 66.4% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Fayetteville is about 12.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,043 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Fayetteville spend about 34 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 140 hours, about 5.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.8 | 18.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 33.7 | 37.2 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 140 | 155 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,347 | $4,807 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 13.3% | 8.8% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 13,170 | 6,306 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,366 | 912 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Fayetteville is 17 minutes, shorter than the 19 minutes in Arkansas.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Fayetteville has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 35.7% | 22.8% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.21 | 2.46 | 2.53 |
Health
Fayetteville has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Fayetteville | Arkansas Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 78.7 | 75.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 14.7% | 22.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.9% | 23.3% | 19.0% |
Fayetteville, AR Compared With Nearby Cities
How Fayetteville, AR compares with the 1 cities closest to it.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville, AR | 86,772 | $59,376 #2/2 | $154,899 #2/2 | 16.8 min #1/2 |
| Springdale, AR | 82,221 | $69,056 | $315,842 | 18.0 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Fayetteville, Arkansas.
How many people live in Fayetteville, Arkansas?
About 86,772 people live in Fayetteville, Arkansas, in 35,686 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 25.9, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
How densely populated is Fayetteville, Arkansas?
Averaged over its land area, Fayetteville, Arkansas has 1,546 people per square mile, a density typical of urban and suburban areas. That is about 18 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Fayetteville, Arkansas?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($154,899 against $59,376), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,043 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in Fayetteville, Arkansas?
Unemployment in Fayetteville, Arkansas is only 3.9%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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