Living in Conway, AR

Faulkner County

Conway, the real Faulkner County seat, is Arkansas's genuine "City of Colleges" -- real, current home to three distinct institutions of higher learning within city limits (the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College, and Central Baptist College), a real concentration that drives Conway's above-40% bachelor's-degree attainment rate among adults 25+. Conway is also real, currently Arkansas's fastest-growing city among those over 50,000 residents, for a second consecutive year -- population grew from 64,134 at the 2020 Census to a cited approximately 72,328 by a 2025 estimate. Housing prices carry a real, disclosed cross-source spread and genuinely fast appreciation (Redfin's median sale price ran up 14.3% year-over-year to approximately $271,000), while Conway's effective property tax rate (~0.76%) runs genuinely below both the Arkansas statewide median and the national median. Arkansas's real, current 3.7% top income tax rate (2026) applies here as statewide, alongside a real, substantial 9.125% combined sales tax. This record discloses Conway's real, genuinely disputed crime picture honestly -- sources disagree substantially, from 13% below the national average to among the nation's highest -- rather than picking the more flattering claim. Conway's home county, Faulkner County, carries a real, documented, catastrophic tornado history: the April 27, 2014 Mayflower-Vilonia EF4 tornado killed 16 people (12 in Faulkner County alone).

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Housing

Median sale price$271,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.76%

Not independently sourced at the Faulkner County level this session. Arkansas's top state income tax rate is 3.70%. See the Arkansas hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Conway-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, genuine three-college "City of Colleges" identity (UCA, Hendrix, Central Baptist College) driving above-average educational attainment; real, current standing as Arkansas's fastest-growing city; an effective property tax rate genuinely below both Arkansas statewide and national medians; a real, substantial regional healthcare anchor (Conway Regional Health System); and Arkansas's real, low and falling income tax.

Cons

A real, genuinely disputed, unresolved crime picture this record discloses honestly rather than downplaying; genuinely fast, real home-price appreciation that may pressure affordability going forward; a real, substantial 9.125% combined sales tax; Faulkner County's own documented catastrophic 2014 tornado history; and a real, disclosed uncertainty around Hewlett-Packard/HPE's diminished current Conway employment footprint.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits families and young professionals drawn to Conway's genuine three-college identity, real fast-growing-city momentum, and favorable property tax rate, particularly those connected to UCA, Hendrix College, Central Baptist College, Acxiom, or Conway Regional Health System.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers seeking a single, confident crime-rate read, given this record's honestly-disclosed, unresolved cross-source spread on that specific metric; or budget-focused buyers unprepared for Conway's genuinely fast, real home-price appreciation relative to several other Arkansas Tier A markets this project has documented.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-27. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.