TL;DR: The Northwest Arkansas housing market report shows a split year-over-year: Springdale's median sale price rose 3.0% to $355,207 while Bentonville fell 19.6% to $424,769, the steepest year-over-year drop of the four NWA cities Redfin tracks monthly, as of June 2026. Rogers fell 10.2% to $428,767 and Fayetteville fell 1.3% to $384,791. Ranked by current price level instead, ArkansasONE MLS data through June 25, 2026 puts Tontitown highest among 15 tracked cities at $473,200. CBER's Skyline Report calls H1 2026 more of a buyer's market than a seller's market.
What Does the NWA Housing Market Report Show, and How Is It Ranked?
This NWA housing market report ranks cities two ways, and the criterion for each is stated up front. Redfin Data Center publishes year-over-year median sale price change for four NWA cities as of June 2026: Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville, and Springdale. That is the first ranking below, sorted from the biggest gain to the steepest drop. ArkansasONE MLS data compiled by NWALook tracks median sale price for 15 NWA cities year-to-date through June 25, 2026 - including those same four plus eleven more - but does not publish a year-over-year change figure at the city level. That is the second ranking below, sorted by current price, high to low. Mixing the two into one composite number would mean inventing a year-over-year figure that doesn't exist in the source data for eleven of the fifteen cities, so this report keeps the two rankings separate. If you're comparing a listing price or an offer, know which ranking you're reading before you act on it.
Which NWA Cities Have Rising or Falling Median Prices Year-Over-Year?
Ranked by year-over-year median sale price change, per Redfin Data Center for June 2026: Springdale comes in first, the only one of the four with a gain, up 3.0% to a median sale price of $355,207. That points to seller leverage - prices there have held or climbed over the past year, so sellers have less reason to negotiate. Fayetteville ranks second, down just 1.3% to $384,791, a market close to flat, which suits buyers and sellers about equally since neither side has much of a price argument to lean on. Rogers ranks third, down 10.2% to $428,767, which gives buyers room to negotiate off list price against where the market stood a year ago. Bentonville ranks fourth and last, down 19.6% to $424,769, the steepest year-over-year drop of any city in this report. That's the clearest buyer-opportunity and investor-entry signal here: a city that sold at meaningfully higher prices a year ago is now pricing closer to Fayetteville and Rogers. If you're a buyer with cash ready, Bentonville and Rogers are where the year-over-year data gives you the most room to negotiate. If you're selling in Springdale, the 3.0% gain is your leverage in a listing conversation.
How Do NWA Cities Rank by Median Sale Price Level?
Ranked by current median sale price, per ArkansasONE MLS data through June 25, 2026: Tontitown leads at $473,200, followed by Rogers at $440,000, Bentonville at $430,000, Centerton at $398,893, and Fayetteville at $395,000. The next tier runs Bella Vista at $371,300, Springdale at $368,500, Lowell at $364,930, and Farmington at $361,782. The lower tier runs Pea Ridge at $338,100, Prairie Grove at $302,470, West Fork at $292,950, Siloam Springs at $280,000, Gentry at $273,900, and Elkins at $271,000, the lowest of the 15 cities tracked. The gap between the highest and lowest city on this list is $202,200 ($473,200 minus $271,000). That figure tells you the range: buyers priced out of Rogers or Bentonville have real alternatives within the same MLS footprint, not a discount of a few thousand dollars. If your budget sits below $302,470, Prairie Grove, West Fork, Siloam Springs, Gentry, and Elkins are the cities on this list that fit, and each is still inside MCG's NWA coverage area. If you're an investor screening for entry price rather than appreciation, the same five cities are your starting point.
Is Northwest Arkansas a Buyer's Market or a Seller's Market Right Now?
The Skyline Report from CBER at the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business gives the county-level trend for the first half of 2026. Benton County's average sale price fell 1.2% year-over-year to $465,888. Washington County's average price rose 1.5% year-over-year to $423,750, though it was down 1.4% from the second half of 2025. Madison County's average price fell 2.2% year-over-year to $314,480. CBER director Mervin Jebaraj characterized the H1 2026 NWA residential market as more of a buyer's market than a seller's market as new housing supply stabilizes prices. Rental supply backs that up: NWA's multifamily vacancy rate rose to 7.3% in H1 2026 from 3.7% a year earlier, as 3,202 new apartment units opened across 21 complexes. Demand hasn't disappeared - per U.S. Census Bureau population estimates (Vintage 2025, reported April 4, 2026), Benton County added 10,553 people and grew 3.3% to 332,554 residents, and Benton County's average weekly wage hit $1,653 in Q4 2025, up 10.8% from the same quarter of 2024, the second-highest wage growth rate among 372 of the largest U.S. counties. If you're an investor weighing a rental purchase, the vacancy jump argues for caution on new multifamily comparables, while the wage and population growth argue for durability in single-family demand.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
The ranking above points to different moves depending on where you sit.
- If you're buying in Bentonville or Rogers, use the 19.6% and 10.2% year-over-year declines (Redfin, June 2026) as your opening negotiating point against list price.
- If you're selling in Springdale, use the 3.0% year-over-year gain (Redfin, June 2026) to support your asking price in listing conversations.
- If you're investing and screening on entry price, start with the five lowest-priced cities on the MLS list - Prairie Grove, West Fork, Siloam Springs, Gentry, and Elkins, all under $302,470 (ArkansasONE MLS, YTD June 25, 2026) - and weigh that against the 7.3% multifamily vacancy rate (H1 2026) before assuming rental demand.
- If you're relocating for a job at Walmart's Bentonville headquarters, Tyson Foods in Springdale, or J.B. Hunt in Lowell, compare your target city's current median against the four Redfin year-over-year figures before setting a budget.
- Call Mason Capital Group at 479-925-3333 for a city-by-city comparison built around your specific budget and timeline.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which NWA city had the steepest year-over-year price drop, and which one rose?
Bentonville had the steepest drop, down 19.6% to a median sale price of $424,769 as of June 2026, while Springdale was the only gainer among the four Redfin-tracked cities, up 3.0% to $355,207 over the same period. Rogers fell 10.2% to $428,767 and Fayetteville fell 1.3% to $384,791 (Redfin Data Center, June 2026).
Is Northwest Arkansas a buyer's market or a seller's market right now?
CBER's Skyline Report characterized the first-half 2026 NWA residential market as more of a buyer's market than a seller's market, citing new housing supply that is stabilizing prices, in its August 21, 2026 release. That release also found Benton County average prices down 1.2% year-over-year to $465,888 and Washington County average prices up 1.5% to $423,750.
Which NWA city has the highest and lowest median sale price?
Tontitown has the highest median sale price of the 15 cities tracked, at $473,200, while Elkins has the lowest at $271,000, a gap of $202,200, per ArkansasONE MLS data through June 25, 2026. Rogers and Bentonville follow at $440,000 and $430,000.
How does apartment vacancy affect the single-family market?
NWA's multifamily vacancy rate rose to 7.3% in the first half of 2026 from 3.7% a year earlier, as 3,202 new apartment units opened across 21 complexes, per CBER's Skyline Report. Rising apartment vacancy can push renters toward buying if enough of them qualify, but it also signals more competition for landlords weighing new rental purchases.
A conversation with Mason Capital Group starts with a specific deliverable: a side-by-side ranking of the NWA cities that fit your budget and timeline, built from the same MLS and Redfin data in this report plus current inventory. Call 479-925-3333 to get one.
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 Redfin Data Center (as of June 2026), ArkansasONE MLS data via NWALook (as of June 25, 2026), the Skyline Report from CBER at the University of Arkansas' Sam M. Walton College of Business via Talk Business & Politics (as of H1 2026, released August 21, 2026), U.S. Census Bureau population estimates via Talk Business & Politics (Vintage 2025, reported April 4, 2026), and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics County Employment and Wages data via Talk Business & Politics (Q4 2025).