BENTONVILLE, Ark. July 31, 2024 – Almost two-thirds of residents in Northwest Arkansas rate their overall quality of life as “excellent” or “very good,” according to a new survey conducted by the Walton Family Foundation.

However, the results also show that while positive perceptions about Northwest Arkansas’s quality of life are high, the sentiment has declined slightly compared to how residents felt when surveyed in 2018 and 2015.

Additionally, the 2024 report found that affordability and infrastructure challenges are impacting residents’ ability to access key resources and quality of life.

“We're optimistic to see the fourth installment of our Quality of Life surveys shows an overall positive sentiment about living in Northwest Arkansas,” said Robert Burns, director of the Walton Family Foundation Home Region Program. “While there is still work to do, especially after recent storms, the survey responses are invaluable in helping us, and the region, understand community needs.”

Highlights of the 2024 Quality of Life Survey include:

• Overall satisfaction with the quality of life in Northwest Arkansas: The majority of respondents (64%) rated their overall quality of life as “excellent” or “very good,” while 37% said their quality of life had “increased” or “significantly increased” compared to a year ago.
  
• Continued appreciation of cultural amenities: Northwest Arkansas's highest-rated characteristics were recreational areas and arts and cultural activities. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) rated these amenities as “excellent” or “very good,” and 80% can access them easily. 
  
• Community support is strong: The findings show that residents are highly engaged, invested and connected to their community. A significant majority of respondents (74%) feel hopeful about the community's future and expect to be part of it for a long time. However, only about half of respondents (54%) think the community has good leadership.

Room for Improvement

• ​The region's rapid growth brings both opportunities and challenges. The top reasons cited for a decrease in quality of life included responses related to the rising cost of living, an unfavorable political climate and the perceived worsening state of the economy.

• Residents identified transportation and housing options as the areas that needed most improvement in the region. Less than a quarter of respondents rated transportation (18%) and housing options (23%) as “excellent” or “very good.” Around half of respondents rated them “poor” or “fair.” Just 29% of respondents consider affordable housing easy to access, and only 39% consider transportation options easy to access.

“The findings show that while residents value the region's amenities, they are less happy with the physical infrastructure. Issues with housing, transportation and infrastructure could be affecting quality of life,” said Burns. “To keep communities in Northwest Arkansas strong, we must focus on improving housing affordability and transportation access, ensuring everyone has a voice in the solutions.”

The Northwest Arkansas Quality of Life Survey was designed to provide a broad overview of residents’ perceptions of life in the region, with particular attention to the foundation’s key strategies. These responses help assess progress and inform future direction in three strategic areas: economic and cultural stability, inclusive growth and sense of belonging and community leadership and capacity building.

View additional survey highlights and read the full report.

About the Walton Family Foundation

The Walton Family Foundation is, at its core, a family-led foundation. Three generations of the descendants of our founders, Sam and Helen Walton, and their spouses, work together to lead the foundation and create access to opportunity for people and communities. We work in three areas: improving K-12 education, protecting rivers and oceans and the communities they support, and investing in our home region of Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas-Mississippi Delta. To learn more, visit waltonfamilyfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, X, formerly known as Twitter and Instagram.