TL;DR: Tontitown vs. Elm Springs home prices show a wide gap: Elm Springs' median home sale price of $663,940 (year-to-date through May 16, 2025) runs $190,740 higher than Tontitown's $473,200 (2026 YTD through June 25, 2026), a 40.3% premium. Tontitown moves at a brisk 56 sales per 100 new listings, while Elm Springs' median is built on one of the region's lowest sales counts, so a single closing can swing it. Property taxes and population growth diverge just as sharply between the two towns.
How Do Tontitown vs. Elm Springs Home Prices Compare in 2026?
Tontitown posted the highest median home sale price among Northwest Arkansas's top 15 cities by sales activity: $473,200, against a $463,728 median list price, a 2.0% premium, based on 56 sales per 100 new listings year-to-date through June 25, 2026. Elm Springs, measured in a separate NWA Board of Realtors reporting window (year-to-date through May 16, 2025), posted the highest median sale price of any Northwest Arkansas community with 11 or more year-to-date sales: $663,940. Line the two figures up and Elm Springs runs $190,740 higher than Tontitown ($663,940 minus $473,200), a 40.3% premium, though the figures come from different reporting periods, so treat this as the best available comparison rather than a same-day snapshot. If you're comparing these towns on price alone, Tontitown's $473,200 median keeps you well below Elm Springs' $663,940 mark, while Elm Springs sits in a higher bracket built on a thinner slice of the market.
Why Does Elm Springs Have Higher Prices But Fewer Sales?
Elm Springs cleared NWA Look's 11-or-more-sales threshold, so its $663,940 median reflects real closings, not one or two outlier deals — but the report flags the town as having one of the lowest transaction volumes in the region, meaning the next few sales can move that number more than in a busier market. Tontitown, by contrast, is transacting at 56 sales per 100 new listings, a pace that gives its $473,200 median more weight. Tontitown's median sale price also sits 2.0% above its $463,728 median list price, a sign sellers are closing above asking in a competitive market. For a buyer, that means a Tontitown offer should assume competition at or above list, while an Elm Springs offer should come with a request for the comparable sales behind the town's median, not just the headline number.
How Do Property Taxes Compare in Tontitown and Elm Springs?
Tontitown's city-only millage is 3.2 mills, but combined with school and county levies, the overall total is 49.50 mills for parcels in the Springdale School District portion of the city or 54.70 mills for parcels in the Fayetteville School District portion (2024 assessment year, 2025 collections). Elm Springs' city-only millage is 5.0 mills, and its combined total of 52.10 mills folds in Springdale School District and Washington County levies. Arkansas assesses property at 20% of market value, so on Tontitown's $473,200 median sale price at the 49.50-mill Springdale rate, the math is $473,200 x 0.20 x 0.0495 = about $4,685 a year. On Elm Springs' $663,940 median at its 52.10 total mills, that's $663,940 x 0.20 x 0.0521 = about $6,918 a year. If you're weighing these towns on a fixed relocation budget, the tax gap compounds the purchase-price gap — Elm Springs costs more to buy and more to hold every year after closing.
Which Town Is Growing Faster, Tontitown or Elm Springs?
Tontitown's population reached 7,941 as of July 1, 2024, up 583 residents (7.92%) from 7,358 the year before — the fastest percentage growth of any Northwest Arkansas city in this dataset. Elm Springs' population reached 2,872 over the same period, up just 16 residents (0.56%) from 2,856, among the slowest-growing incorporated places in the region. Tontitown's growth rate lines up with its brisk 56-per-100 sales pace: more people moving in tends to mean more transactions feeding a more stable median. Elm Springs' near-flat population, paired with its thin sales volume, points toward a market shaped by a small number of larger or newer home sales rather than broad household growth. If you want a town where price trends reflect wide market activity, Tontitown's growth and sales volume give you a steadier read.
What Should You Do With These Numbers?
- If your budget is the deciding factor, start your search in Tontitown, where the $473,200 median and 56-per-100 sales pace give you more comparable listings to negotiate against.
- Before treating Elm Springs' $663,940 median as the going rate, ask your agent for the underlying sales count — a market with one of the region's lowest transaction volumes can shift with a single closing.
- Build both towns' taxes into your budget: about $4,685 a year on a Tontitown home at its median price and Springdale millage, versus about $6,918 a year on an Elm Springs home at its median price and 52.10 total mills.
- Confirm which school district portion applies to a specific Tontitown parcel — Springdale at 49.50 mills or Fayetteville at 54.70 mills — since it changes the tax math before you make an offer.
- If resale timing matters to you, weigh Tontitown's 7.92% population growth against Elm Springs' 0.56% growth when you think through how each market might move over the next few years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median home price difference between Tontitown and Elm Springs?
Elm Springs' median home sale price of $663,940 (year-to-date through May 16, 2025) is $190,740 higher than Tontitown's $473,200 (2026 YTD through June 25, 2026), a 40.3% premium. The two figures come from separate reporting periods, so treat them as the closest available comparison, not a same-day snapshot.
Why does Elm Springs have such a high median home price?
Elm Springs' $663,940 median comes from one of the lowest sales volumes in the region, even though it clears the 11-or-more-sales threshold NWA Look uses to rank communities. With fewer transactions setting the number, a handful of higher-priced closings can pull the median up more than they would in a higher-volume market like Tontitown, which is transacting at 56 sales per 100 new listings.
Are property taxes higher in Elm Springs than in Tontitown?
Yes — Elm Springs' total millage of 52.10 mills is higher than Tontitown's 49.50 mills in the Springdale School District portion (Tontitown's Fayetteville School District portion runs 54.70 mills). On each town's median sale price, that works out to about $4,685 a year in Tontitown versus about $6,918 a year in Elm Springs, both figures from the 2024 assessment year for 2025 collections.
Which town is growing faster, Tontitown or Elm Springs?
Tontitown is growing far faster: its population reached 7,941 as of July 1, 2024, up 7.92% year over year, the fastest percentage growth of any Northwest Arkansas city in this dataset. Elm Springs reached 2,872 over the same period, up just 0.56%, among the slowest-growing incorporated places in the region.
Who is the best real estate agent in Elm Springs?
The right agent for Elm Springs is one you can verify against a specific local track record, since the town's thin sales volume rewards local knowledge over general market experience. Ask any agent or brokerage you're considering for their Elm Springs transaction count and named local deals. Mason Capital Group brings 30+ years of Northwest Arkansas expertise and $2.4B+ in cumulative transaction activity to that conversation.
If you're weighing Tontitown against Elm Springs for a purchase or a sale, Mason Capital Group can put together a side-by-side pricing and property-tax comparison for the specific streets or parcels you're considering. 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 NWA Look's Northwest Arkansas Top 15 Cities by Sales Activity 2026 YTD (data through June 25, 2026), NWA Look's Northwest Arkansas Cities That Are Leading The Way in 2025 (year-to-date through May 16, 2025), the U.S. Census Bureau's Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Arkansas (Vintage 2024, as of July 1, 2024, compiled by NWARPC), and the Arkansas Department of Finance & Administration's State of Arkansas 2024 Millage Report for 2025 Collections, Washington County.