Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Arkansas

Arkansas has 50 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Phillips County at 57.4 per 100K , while the safest is Benton County at 2.2 per 100K .

30 of 50 counties (60%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Arkansas

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Phillips County 57.4 per 100K +618.0%
2 Jefferson County 37.3 per 100K +365.9%
3 Mississippi County 28.7 per 100K +259.0%
4 Crittenden County 28.5 per 100K +256.6%
5 Monroe County 27.3 per 100K +240.8%
6 St. Francis County 26.7 per 100K +233.5%
7 Chicot County 25.0 per 100K +212.8%
8 Lee County 22.6 per 100K +183.0%
9 Pulaski County 19.4 per 100K +142.1%
10 Union County 16.2 per 100K +102.6%

Safest Counties in Arkansas

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
50 Benton County 2.2 per 100K -72.0%
49 Washington County 2.9 per 100K -63.6%
48 Crawford County 3.2 per 100K -59.9%
47 Independence County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
46 White County 4.5 per 100K -43.1%
45 Saline County 4.8 per 100K -40.3%
44 Lonoke County 4.8 per 100K -39.4%
43 Boone County 5.3 per 100K -33.5%
42 Greene County 5.3 per 100K -33.4%
41 Johnson County 5.4 per 100K -32.3%

All 50 Counties Ranked

Every county in Arkansas ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Phillips County 57.4 per 100K +618.0%
2 Jefferson County 37.3 per 100K +365.9%
3 Mississippi County 28.7 per 100K +259.0%
4 Crittenden County 28.5 per 100K +256.6%
5 Monroe County 27.3 per 100K +240.8%
6 St. Francis County 26.7 per 100K +233.5%
7 Chicot County 25.0 per 100K +212.8%
8 Lee County 22.6 per 100K +183.0%
9 Pulaski County 19.4 per 100K +142.1%
10 Union County 16.2 per 100K +102.6%
11 Arkansas County 15.6 per 100K +94.6%
12 Drew County 15.1 per 100K +88.9%
13 Lincoln County 15.1 per 100K +88.9%
14 Desha County 15.1 per 100K +88.8%
15 Columbia County 14.1 per 100K +76.6%
16 Bradley County 13.4 per 100K +67.4%
17 Stone County 12.5 per 100K +56.6%
18 Garland County 11.2 per 100K +40.3%
19 Ashley County 11.0 per 100K +37.0%
20 Howard County 10.9 per 100K +36.3%
21 Jackson County 10.2 per 100K +27.1%
22 Madison County 9.4 per 100K +18.0%
23 Hot Spring County 9.4 per 100K +17.3%
24 Sharp County 9.0 per 100K +12.5%
25 Miller County 8.9 per 100K +11.4%
26 Hempstead County 8.8 per 100K +10.1%
27 Marion County 8.5 per 100K +6.6%
28 Poinsett County 8.5 per 100K +6.6%
29 Cross County 8.3 per 100K +3.9%
30 Yell County 8.1 per 100K +1.8%
31 Logan County 8.0 per 100K -0.4%
32 Polk County 7.9 per 100K -0.9%
33 Craighead County 7.7 per 100K -4.1%
34 Cleburne County 7.4 per 100K -7.4%
35 Ouachita County 7.4 per 100K -7.6%
36 Clark County 7.1 per 100K -10.8%
37 Baxter County 6.5 per 100K -18.9%
38 Pope County 6.5 per 100K -19.0%
39 Sebastian County 6.3 per 100K -21.9%
40 Faulkner County 5.6 per 100K -30.1%
41 Johnson County 5.4 per 100K -32.3%
42 Greene County 5.3 per 100K -33.4%
43 Boone County 5.3 per 100K -33.5%
44 Lonoke County 4.8 per 100K -39.4%
45 Saline County 4.8 per 100K -40.3%
46 White County 4.5 per 100K -43.1%
47 Independence County 3.8 per 100K -52.4%
48 Crawford County 3.2 per 100K -59.9%
49 Washington County 2.9 per 100K -63.6%
50 Benton County 2.2 per 100K -72.0%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Arkansas only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Arkansas?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Arkansas is Phillips County, at 57.4 per 100,000 residents. This is 618% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Arkansas?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Arkansas is Benton County, at 2.2 per 100,000 residents.
How does Arkansas's crime rate compare to the national average?
30 of 50 counties in Arkansas (60%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Arkansas has the most firearm fatalities?
Phillips County has the highest firearm fatality rate in Arkansas at 79.5 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Arkansas has the most drug overdose deaths?
Garland County has the highest drug overdose death rate in Arkansas at 35.3 per 100,000 residents.