TL;DR: Cave Springs vs. Centerton, AR home prices in the newest MLS data (March 2026) show a $475,000 gap: Cave Springs' median sale price is $885,000 against Centerton's $410,000, even though Centerton is growing far faster and adding far more inventory. Cave Springs homes sell in a median 72 days on 5.5 months of supply; Centerton homes now sit a median 146 days on 3.8 months of supply and 289 active listings, a market that has clearly loosened for buyers over the past year.
What Are Cave Springs and Centerton Home Prices Right Now?
The newest MLS-AR/Arkansas One data, as of March 2026, puts Cave Springs' median sale price at $885,000 against Centerton's $410,000, a gap of $475,000 ($885,000 minus $410,000). Cave Springs' median sale price was down 0.02% year-over-year with sales essentially flat (0% year-over-year), while Centerton's median sale price was up 0.04% year-over-year. Cave Springs is priced like a different market entirely, not a marginally pricier neighbor.
That $475,000 gap is not a rounding difference between similar towns; it separates two different price tiers entirely. If your budget realistically caps out anywhere near Centerton's $410,000 median, Cave Springs is not a stretch, it is a different market segment; plan your search accordingly rather than assuming the two towns are interchangeable because they sit a few miles apart.
Why Are Cave Springs Homes Selling So Much Faster Than Centerton's?
Speed and supply diverge just as sharply as price. Cave Springs homes spent a median of 72 days on market in March 2026 (MLS-AR/Arkansas One MLS data), with 5.5 months of supply and just 61 active listings. Centerton homes spent a median of 146 days on market, up 105% year-over-year, with 3.8 months of supply (up from 2.7 months a year earlier) and 289 active listings, per the same March 2026 MLS-AR/Arkansas One MLS data. That is a 74-day gap (146 minus 72) between the two markets' typical time to sell.
Centerton's jump in days on market and its 289 active listings mean buyers there have real selection and negotiating room, a market that has loosened noticeably over the past year. Cave Springs' 61 listings and 5.5-month supply describe a tighter, faster-moving market where a well-priced home does not sit. If you are house-hunting on a timeline, expect Centerton to take longer to close out a search simply because there is more to look at; expect Cave Springs to reward decisiveness.
How Do Commute Times Compare Between Cave Springs and Centerton?
Both towns beat the national commute: the U.S. average mean travel time to work was 26.4 minutes (2024 ACS estimates). Cave Springs workers report a mean travel time of 20.4 minutes, with 76.8% driving alone and 19.1% working from home. Centerton workers report a mean travel time of 23.7 minutes, with 72% driving alone, 17.3% working from home, and 8.31% carpooling (2024 ACS estimates).
Cave Springs' shorter mean commute matters most if you are driving daily into Bentonville-area employers, Walmart's home office among them, and want to minimize windshield time regardless of price. Centerton's commute still beats the national average by a comfortable margin, and its higher carpool share suggests more households share rides to the same employment corridor. If commute time is your deciding factor over price, Centerton's numbers say the cheaper town does not cost you time.
What Is Driving Centerton's Growth and Inventory Boom?
Centerton's population reached an estimated 25,745 as of July 1, 2024, up from 24,024 the year before, a 7.2% one-year growth rate, among the fastest of any Arkansas city. The city has grown 41.76% since the 2020 Census, reaching an estimated 25,857 residents, and was ranked the 6th fastest-growing U.S. city, for municipalities over 20,000, in 2024. Cave Springs, by comparison, had an estimated population of 6,008 as of July 1, 2024, a fraction of Centerton's size.
Construction is keeping pace with that growth: the City of Centerton issued 1,045 new building permits across residential, commercial, electrical, and plumbing categories in calendar year 2024, collecting nearly $1 million in permit fees and conducting 12,608 inspections. That volume of new construction is the direct explanation for Centerton's 289 active listings and rising months of supply (March 2026 MLS-AR/Arkansas One MLS data). For a relocator choosing between the two, Centerton offers a bigger, faster-growing town with more new construction and more listings to choose from; Cave Springs offers a smaller, tighter market with far less turnover.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
- If your budget caps out near Centerton's $410,000 median, concentrate your search there; you will have 289 active listings (March 2026 MLS-AR/Arkansas One MLS data) to work through versus Cave Springs' 61.
- If Cave Springs is the target, budget near its $885,000 median and be ready to act inside roughly its 72-day median time on market (March 2026 MLS-AR/Arkansas One MLS data).
- If your commute to a Bentonville-area employer is the deciding factor, compare Cave Springs' 20.4-minute mean commute against Centerton's 23.7-minute mean before you let price alone decide.
- Ask any agent you are vetting to pull March 2026 days-on-market and months-of-supply figures for the specific subdivision, not just the citywide medians cited here.
- Before writing an offer in either town, have your agent run a current comparison of active listings against these March 2026 medians so you know whether pricing has moved since this data was pulled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Cave Springs or Centerton more affordable?
Centerton is more affordable, with a March 2026 median sale price of $410,000 versus Cave Springs' $885,000, a $475,000 gap ($885,000 minus $410,000). Centerton's median was up 0.04% year-over-year while Cave Springs' median was down 0.02% year-over-year (March 2026), so the gap has held steady rather than widened or closed.
Which town has more homes for sale right now?
Centerton has far more inventory, with 289 active listings and 3.8 months of supply as of March 2026, compared with Cave Springs' 61 active listings and 5.5 months of supply. Centerton's supply has also grown, up from 2.7 months of supply a year earlier, while Cave Springs' market has stayed comparatively tight.
Why is Centerton growing so fast?
Centerton is growing fast because of sustained new construction and in-migration: its population reached an estimated 25,745 as of July 1, 2024, a 7.2% one-year growth rate, and the city has grown 41.76% since the 2020 Census, ranking 6th among fastest-growing U.S. cities over 20,000 residents in 2024. The city issued 1,045 new building permits in calendar year 2024 alone.
How long will it take to sell a home in Cave Springs versus Centerton?
Cave Springs homes sold in a median of 72 days as of March 2026, while Centerton homes took a median of 146 days, up 105% year-over-year. That is a 74-day gap (146 minus 72) between the two markets, meaning a Cave Springs listing typically moves in roughly half the time a Centerton listing does.
Who is the best real estate agent in Bentonville?
The right way to answer that is to verify a candidate's local track record, transaction volume, and named expertise in the specific NWA submarket you are targeting, not to take a self-declared ranking at face value. Mason Capital Group has operated in Northwest Arkansas for 30+ years with $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity, facts worth checking against whoever else you are considering.
If you are weighing Cave Springs against Centerton for a purchase or a relocation, Mason Capital Group can put together a side-by-side pricing and days-on-market comparison for the specific neighborhoods you are considering, built from the same MLS-AR data behind this article. Call 479-925-3333 to start that conversation.
About the author: Cameron Torabi, Principal Broker — Mason Capital Group. 30+ years of Northwest Arkansas real estate expertise; $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity.
Figures in this article are drawn from the Houzeo Arkansas Housing Market Report for Cave Springs and Centerton, sourced from MLS-AR / Arkansas One MLS (as of March 2026); Data USA profiles for Cave Springs and Centerton based on U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey estimates (2024); the City of Centerton 2025 State of the City Address (calendar year 2024 permit data); Talk Business and Politics, citing U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (July 2024); and Arkansas-Demographics.com's compilation of U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (July 2024).