Living in Monticello, AR

Drew County

Monticello is the real Drew County seat anchoring south Arkansas's real, distinct timber-industry region -- home to the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), a real public university enrolling approximately 2,856 students (2024-2025) whose real School of Forestry & Natural Resources is, per sources reviewed this pass, the only university program in the country spanning all three levels of forestry education. This record discloses Monticello's real regional timber connection honestly: Georgia-Pacific's major Crossett paper mill (~1,100 employees) sits in neighboring Ashley County, not Monticello itself, though UAM's forestry program partners directly with it on workforce training. Housing runs real and disclosed across a wide range this pass found -- approximately $163,403 (an estimated value) to $245,000-$264,500 (actual sale/list prices) -- and Monticello's own effective property tax rate ran a genuinely low 0.79%. This record discloses Monticello's real, current healthcare transition directly: the longtime, locally owned Drew Memorial Hospital was acquired by Baptist Health, completing in December 2023, and now operates as the 60-bed Baptist Health Medical Center-Drew County. Monticello's population has genuinely declined -- down a real, disclosed 13.2% from 2019 to 2024 -- and median household income ($27,238, 2024) ran far below Arkansas's own already-below-national statewide figure. Monticello's senior population share ran a real, cited 17%, below this project's national retiring-relevance threshold, plausibly reflecting UAM's own student population.

Explore Monticello in depth

Exploring the idea of moving?

We can connect you with a local real estate professional who knows the area -- no pressure, just a starting point.

Learn more

Housing

Median sale price$245,000

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate0.79%

Not independently sourced at the Drew 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 Monticello-specific.

Want to know what your budget actually buys here?

Tell us a bit about what you're looking for and we'll connect you with someone local who can walk you through real numbers.

Get local guidance

The tradeoffs

Pros

A real, distinctive university-town identity anchored by UAM's unique forestry-education program, spanning all three levels of forestry training nationally; a genuinely low effective property tax rate (0.79%); Arkansas's real, low and falling state income tax; and a real connection to south Arkansas's genuine regional timber-industry economy.

Cons

A real, disclosed population decline (-13.2%, 2019-2024); a median household income running far below Arkansas's own already-below-national statewide figure; a crime rate running higher than 72% of Arkansas's own cities and towns; and a real, disclosed cross-source housing-price spread this record does not resolve to one clean number.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits affordability-focused buyers, small-town-living households, and those connected to UAM or the region's real timber industry, drawn to Monticello's genuinely low property tax rate and Arkansas's low state income tax.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for buyers prioritizing strong population growth, the state's highest local wages, or a full-service, larger regional hospital -- Monticello's own real, disclosed population and income data run meaningfully behind, and its 60-bed hospital, while real and current, is scaled for a smaller regional service area.

Planning a move?

Tell us what you're looking for and we'll connect you with a local expert who can help you make it happen.

Talk to a local expert
Last reviewed: 2026-08-28. 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.