The story of this market
The typical home in Desha County, Arkansas sells for about $62,500, or $16 per square foot.
Prices are down 39% from a year ago, which gives buyers more room to negotiate. Homes take about 67 days to sell, which is slow. Over the long run, values in this county have grown 50% since 2003. HUD's fair market rent for a two-bedroom is $909 a month.
HUD sets the fair market rent for a 2-bedroom at $909 a month. FEMA's National Risk Index rates overall hazard risk here as Relatively Low.
Price climate
Every year of price change, 2003–2025
0%
2025
Each stripe is one year's median price change across the area's census tracts (FHFA repeat-sales index). Deep blue is a strong gain year, red a falling year. Best: 2017 (+20.9%). Worst: 2016 (-11.4%). Hover to read a year.
Monthly price momentum
Home values since 2015
+2.7%
AR · past 12 months
Freddie Mac House Price Index, single-family homes, monthly through 2026-08. Each line starts at 100 in January 2015, so a reading of 180 means prices are up 80% since then.
Rent benchmark
Fair market rent by size
$1,217
3-bed / month
HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal 2027, for this county. A typical rent for a modest unit, used to set housing-voucher payments.
Neighborhood price trend
Long-run price trend, 2003–2025
0%
2025 change
FHFA repeat-sales index, median of 1 census tracts in this county (2003 = 100). Bars are each year's median change.
Natural hazard exposure
The area's risk shape
66
Relatively Low
FEMA National Risk Index. Each spoke is a hazard ranked nationally, where 100 is the most exposed. Expected annual loss: $6,544,699.
Mortgage activity
Home lending in this county
55.3%
2019 approval rate
| Year | Applications | Loans made | Approval | Investor share | Median home value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 193 | 83 | 60% | 13.6% | $95,000 |
| 2019 | 171 | 59 | 55.3% | 0% | $95,000 |
CFPB Home Mortgage Disclosure Act records: every mortgage application reported by lenders for homes in this county. Approval rate is approved ÷ decided (withdrawn and incomplete files excluded). Investor share and home value are the median census tract.
Desha County, Arkansas
Desha County's residential market is marked by low transaction volume and softening sales values, with median prices dropping year-over-year. Persistent out-migration and low purchasing power weigh heavily on transaction speed, resulting in elevated discounts below list price.
No ARED distress-ledger coverage for this county yet — the foreclosure ingest rotates the national county directory, and filings appear here once the county's posted notices are read. Key-figure check: no independent anchor retained yet — first-researched cycles establish the anchor baseline this pass.
Select a city to expand its ZIP intel reports beneath · 9 cities · 8 ZIP reports
Median prices moved up 11.0% year over year.
Homes spend a median of 83 days on market with 0.7 months of supply — a fast-moving market.
1% of listings have cut prices · homes sell at 10.56% of asking — demand is holding steady.
no recorded foreclosure-ledger notices (0.0 per 10,000 residents) · unemployment 4.3% · poverty 28.9% — a mixed stability profile.
Deterministic aggregate of 8 researched ZIP reports — sales_count-weighted (population fallback); per point, children lacking the value or its weight are excluded. Tax rates, sentiment and context notes are tier-native and never roll.
No researched properties in this county yet — the property base layer populates as property research runs, and each property feeds its ZIP's roll-up.
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| 71630 | Arkansas City | — | $345 | +51.3% | 336 | 1% | 0.3% | 0.2 | 1 | — | researched Sep 28 |
| 71639 | Dumas | $90,800 | $65 | +2.1% | 115 | 96.5% | 12% | 5.6 | 45 | $761 | researched Sep 28 |
| 71654 | McGehee | $125,000 | $85 | +2.1% | 92 | 96.5% | 12% | 7 | 28 | $850 | researched Sep 28 |
| 71666 | Rohwer | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | researched Sep 28 |
| 71667 | Star City | $111,300 | $68 | +2.1% | 124 | 96.5% | 12% | 5.2 | 42 | $850 | researched Sep 28 |
| 71670 | Reed | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | $667 | researched Sep 28 |
| 71674 | Watson | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | researched Sep 28 |
| 71675 | Wilmar | $135,126 | $78 | -0.1% | 112 | 96% | 8% | 7 | 14 | $750 | researched Sep 28 |
Figures are each ZIP report's own latest research — the county roll-up aggregates them sales_count-weighted (population fallback); ZIPs cycle quarterly.
Violent and property crime rates in Desha County exceed statewide rural baselines, driven largely by elevated incident rates concentrated in Dumas and McGehee. Regional reporting reflects persistent property crime pressures alongside statewide law enforcement resource constraints.
Public school options include Dumas and McGehee school districts, which receive mixed state accountability ratings ranging from average in McGehee Elementary (7/10) to below average performance in secondary facilities.
Desha County has a minor 15% severe flood hazard footprint across overall parcels, but faces major severe wind risk with 98% exposure and major extreme heat vulnerability under regional Delta climatic conditions.
Economic expansion is modest and primarily tied to commercial agriculture, forestry, barge transportation along the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers, and regional public employers. Industrial momentum remains constrained by population out-migration.
Composed from the ARED governance burden registry — tier-native tax structure (state + county + city + special districts), never averaged. State (Arkansas) — Arkansas Disabled Veteran Total Property Tax Exemption: Provides a 100% exemption from all ad valorem real property taxes on the principal homestead. Formula: Net Ad Valorem Tax Due = $0.00. State (Arkansas) — Arkansas Senior and Disabled Assessment Freeze: Freezes the assessed taxable value of the homestead at the prevailing assessed value at the time the owner becomes eligible or purchases the property. State (Arkansas) — Arkansas State Homestead Property Tax Credit: Provides a direct reduction against ad valorem property taxes up to $350.00 (increased to $350 by Act 655 of 2009; further statutory increases may apply up to $425 depending on legislative session). Formula: Final Tax Due = max($0, Gross Ad Valorem Tax - Homestead Credit). State (Arkansas) — Arkansas Amendment 79 Assessment Growth Caps (Assessment Limitation): Caps annual assessed value growth following a countywide reappraisal: homestead parcel taxable assessments cannot increase by more than 5% per year, and non-homestead residential parcel taxable assessments cannot increase by more than 10% per year until taxable assessment reaches… State (Arkansas) — Arkansas Ad Valorem Property Tax Assessment Ratio and Valuation: Imposes an ad valorem property tax based on a uniform statutory assessment ratio of 20% of true market value.
Outdoor recreation centers on the Mississippi, Arkansas, and White Rivers, including the Trusten Holder Wildlife Management Area and proximity to the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge, providing hunting, fishing, and boating access.
The rental market is modest and characterized by limited single-family and small multifamily inventory, with median gross rents under $700 per month and low institutional investor involvement.
The economy is predominantly centered on agricultural production—primarily soybeans, rice, cotton, and grain—supported by river logistics, food processing, and local healthcare and public education systems.
Key highway corridors include U.S. Route 65 connecting north to Pine Bluff and south to Louisiana, alongside U.S. Route 165; transit options are limited to regional rural non-profit transit providers.
Countywide planning is minimal outside of municipal zoning in Dumas and McGehee, with regional focus centered on levee infrastructure and agricultural drainage boards.
The Desha County Assessor appraises real property every five years pursuant to Arkansas state statutory reappraisal cycles, applying assessment values at 20% of fair market value.
Property parcels are subject to overlapping local taxing units including municipal millages, Dumas or McGehee public school districts, county general millages, and various agricultural drainage and levee improvement districts.
Property insurance rates are influenced by severe thunderstorm and wind exposure, as well as localized river basin proximity, resulting in tightening underwriting in low-lying Delta flood zones.
- Cane Creek State Park4.618.8 mi
- Arkansas Post National Memorial4.811.1 mi
Theme parks, venues, golf, airports, museums, water and shopping across the area ranked by popularity within the radius shown.
The amenity base that shapes daily life and property demand in this county — what residents actually live with, and what the pipeline is adding.
Spans over 12,000 acres along the Arkansas and White rivers offering premier duck hunting, fishing, and boating access.
Preserves the agrarian and Delta heritage of the historic lower Arkansas River region.
National Historic Landmark preserving cemetery monuments and history of the WWII Japanese American internment camp.
Retrieved from Census ACS 5-year tables via QuickFacts and state demographic repositories.
Caps annual assessed value growth following a countywide reappraisal: homestead parcel taxable assessments cannot increase by more than 5% per year, and non-homestead residential parcel taxable assessments cannot increase by more than 10% per year until taxable assessment reaches 20% of full market value. Growth limitations do not apply to new construction or substantial improvements, and uncapping to full 20% market value occurs upon an arm's-length sale pursuant to Ark. Code Ann. § 26-26-1123.
Adopted via Ark. Const. amend. 79 (effective 2000) and codified at Ark. Code Ann. §§ 26-26-1120 through 26-26-1123.
applies when — Residential parcels bound by recorded covenants, conditions, and restrictions (CC&Rs) establishing a property owners association (POA) or homeowners association (HOA).
Binds title to mandatory common-expense assessments, architectural controls, and association bylaws. Because Arkansas lacks a dedicated standalone single-family HOA statutory code, associations incorporate and operate under the Arkansas Nonprofit Corporation Act (Ark. Code Ann. §§ 4-33-101 et seq.). Covenants running with the land grant the association power to place statutory/contractual assessment liens on defaulting parcels and pursue foreclosure under covenant terms.
Ark. Code Ann. §§ 4-33-101 et seq.; Horizontal Property Act (for condominiums) Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-13-101 et seq.
applies when — Homestead parcel owned by an individual who is 65 years of age or older, or who is permanently and totally disabled.
Freezes the assessed taxable value of the homestead at the prevailing assessed value at the time the owner becomes eligible or purchases the property. The taxable assessed value remains fixed and does not rise with subsequent reassessments unless the property undergoes substantial improvement or changes ownership outside of exempt transfers.
Ark. Const. amend. 79, § 1; Ark. Code Ann. § 26-26-1120.
applies when — Parcel must be an owner-occupied single-family residence designated as the taxpayer's principal place of residence (homestead).
Provides a direct reduction against ad valorem property taxes up to $350.00 (increased to $350 by Act 655 of 2009; further statutory increases may apply up to $425 depending on legislative session). Formula: Final Tax Due = max($0, Gross Ad Valorem Tax - Homestead Credit). Credit is non-refundable and cannot reduce the net tax below zero.
Ark. Const. amend. 79, § 3; Ark. Code Ann. § 26-26-1118.
applies when — Applies to residential parcels where the lender elects judicial foreclosure in circuit court or where the security instrument lacks a power of sale.
Requires a civil complaint, judicial hearing, and entry of a foreclosure judgment followed by a commissioner's sale. Under Ark. Code Ann. § 18-49-106, mortgagors have a statutory one-year redemption period following a judicial foreclosure sale unless the right of redemption was expressly waived in the underlying mortgage instrument (which is common practice in commercial instruments but legally distinct in residential equity protections).
Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-49-101 through 18-49-106.
applies when — Applies to residential parcels encumbered by a mortgage or deed of trust containing an express power-of-sale clause upon borrower default.
Enables non-judicial foreclosure without court intervention. Requires the mortgagee/trustee to record and mail a Notice of Default and Intention to Sell at least 60 days prior to the scheduled sale date, publish notice once a week for four consecutive weeks, and post notice at the courthouse and online. The borrower retains a statutory right of reinstatement by curing default up to the time of sale. Once the trustee's deed is executed upon sale, statutory post-sale redemption rights are fully extinguished.
Arkansas Statutory Foreclosure Act, Ark. Code Ann. §§ 18-50-101 et seq.
Imposes an ad valorem property tax based on a uniform statutory assessment ratio of 20% of true market value. Tax Calculation Formula: Assessed Value = Appraised Market Value * 0.20; Gross Tax = Assessed Value * (Total Millage Rate / 1,000); Net Tax Due = Gross Tax - Applicable Credits. Millage includes a mandatory statewide minimum 25 mills Uniform Rate of Tax (URT) for school maintenance and operations under Ark. Const. art. 14, plus local county, municipal, and voter-approved millages.
Codified under Ark. Const. art. 14, art. 16, § 5; Ark. Code Ann. §§ 26-24-104, 26-26-303, and 26-26-1201.
applies when — Parcels situated within incorporated municipal boundaries, extraterritorial planning jurisdictions, or counties with active planning commissions.
Submits residential parcels to police power land-use controls, setback requirements, density maximums, building height caps, and subdivision dedication mandates established by local planning commissions pursuant to state enabling acts. Municipalities may enforce zoning and subdivision controls within up to 5 miles of their corporate limits (extraterritorial jurisdiction).
Ark. Code Ann. §§ 14-56-401 et seq. (Municipal Planning) and §§ 14-17-201 et seq. (County Planning).
Arkansas adheres to the common law doctrine of 'caveat emptor' (buyer beware) for unrepresented private sellers, meaning there is no state statutory requirement forcing a seller to provide a formal written property condition disclosure. However, if a licensed real estate broker or salesperson is involved in the transaction, Arkansas Real Estate Commission (AREC) regulations require affirmative disclosure of all known material adverse facts and defects affecting the property, and common law bars fraudulent concealment or active misrepresentation by sellers.
Arkansas Real Estate Commission Regulations; common law caveat emptor doctrine reaffirmed in AREC published guidance.
applies when — Homestead parcel owned by a veteran certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs as 100% totally and permanently service-connected disabled, or an un-remarried surviving spouse/minor children.
Provides a 100% exemption from all ad valorem real property taxes on the principal homestead. Formula: Net Ad Valorem Tax Due = $0.00.
Ark. Code Ann. § 26-3-306.
Governance registry — every jurisdiction re-researches on a rolling 90-day cycle. Property reports compose these inherited burdens into a per-parcel ledger with conditional determinations. Informational only — not legal advice.