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City · 8,935 residents · Phillips County, Arkansas

Helena-West Helena , Arkansas

In Helena-West Helena, a typical home is worth $73,200 and typical rent is $771 a month. Compared with all of Phillips County, typical household income is 10% lower, the typical home value is 6% lower, and the share of households that own their home is 9 points lower.

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  • Typical home value

    $73,200

    6% below the county

    61% below Arkansas

    • Helena-West Helena
    • Phillips
    • Arkansas

  • Typical rent

    $771a month

    5% above the county

    19% below Arkansas

    • Helena-West Helena
    • Phillips
    • Arkansas

  • Typical household income

    $36,019a year

    10% below the county

    41% below Arkansas

    • Helena-West Helena
    • Phillips
    • Arkansas

  • Households that own their home

    42%

    9 points below the county

    24 points below Arkansas

    • Helena-West Helena
    • Phillips
    • Arkansas

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

Market now, with Zillow data

Zillow data
Typical home value
$37,509
3.8% less than 12 months ago

From Zillow (ZHVI), September 2026. The Census figures above are 5-year averages (2020–2024).

Helena-West Helena is in Phillips County. The FHA loan limit ($541,287 for a one-unit home), the fair market rents and the help on this page are those of all of Phillips County. See the county

Data updated: October 1, 2026 11 official sources

Only here

What sets Helena-West Helena apart

What this place has that others do not, from public data, most unusual first.

  1. Helena-West Helena has the lowest typical home value of the 71 cities in Arkansas with more than 5,000 people: $73,200.

  2. Helena-West Helena has the 2nd largest share of rent-burdened renters of the 65 cities in Arkansas with more than 5,000 people (63%).

  3. According to Zillow, in the 12 months to September 2026 the typical home value in Helena-West Helena fell 3.8%; in Arkansas, it rose 3.4%.

  4. Helena-West Helena has the 4th lowest homeownership rate of the 71 cities in Arkansas with more than 5,000 people (42%).

  5. Helena-West Helena has the 4th lowest typical household income of the 71 cities in Arkansas with more than 5,000 people ($36,019).

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (Average 2020–2024); Zillow (September 2026 data). Zillow data

The homes here

Housing in Helena-West Helena

What homes there are in Helena-West Helena, what they cost, how that changed and how people live, from Census figures (2020–2024).

What homes there are

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Kind of home

In Helena-West Helena, 7 in 10 homes are single-family detached houses, about the same as in Phillips County.

Year built

In Helena-West Helena, half of the homes were built before 1972; in Phillips County, before 1974.

All homes, occupied or empty. A figure the Census cannot measure precisely enough here is not shown.

Census tables: B25024, B25034, B25035, B25041

What it costs here

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

Value of owner-occupied homes
Monthly rent with utilities

HUD's 2-bedroom fair market rent (FMR) for Phillips County is $909; about 69% of rents in Helena-West Helena are below it.

With a mortgage

$1,218 a month

Phillips County: $1,156 a month

Without a mortgage

$447 a month

Phillips County: $466 a month

Owners with a mortgage

33%

Phillips County: 32%

The typical cost for an owner with a mortgage in Helena-West Helena is $1,218 a month, more than in Phillips County ($1,156); without one, $447.

Value: what owners think their home is worth. Rent: rent plus utilities, for homes of every size. The FHA limit is the most an FHA loan (Federal Housing Administration) lends for a one-unit home; the fair market rent (FMR) is the one HUD uses for housing vouchers.

Census tables: B25075, B25063, B25088, B25081

How it changed

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2015–2019 and 2020–2024

Change since 2015–2019

Since 2015–2019, home values in Helena-West Helena moved so little that the Census cannot say whether they rose or fell.

Rents in Helena-West Helena rose faster than in Phillips County: 33% since 2015–2019, against 26%.

Change between two 5-year periods that do not overlap, in each period's dollars, not adjusted for inflation.

Census tables: B25077, B25064, B19013

How people live

U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year, 2020–2024

MeasureHelena-West HelenaPhillips CountyArkansasUnited States
Rental vacancy Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate6.4%5.5%
Homeowner vacancy 13.4%7.9%1.1%0.9%
More than one person per room Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate2.7%3.4%
People per household 2.542.532.462.53
Drive alone 69%76%79%69%
Carpool Unreliable estimate12%9%9%
Public transit Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate0%3%
Walk or bike Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate2%3%
Work from home Unreliable estimate4%9%15%
Other means Unreliable estimateUnreliable estimate1%2%
Typical commute 10 to 19 minutes10 to 19 minutes10 to 19 minutes20 to 29 minutes

By size, households in Helena-West Helena look like those in Phillips County: 2.54 people on average.

The car rules in Helena-West Helena: 69% of workers drive to work alone, and the typical trip takes 10 to 19 minutes.

Vacancy: empty homes offered for rent or for sale. Rooms: every room in the home, not only bedrooms. Commute: the minute range of the typical worker.

Census tables: B25004, B25003, B25014, B25010, B08301, B08303

Do the math

What would you pay each month for a home in Helena-West Helena?

A typical home is within reach of the typical income

We start with a typical home in Helena-West Helena, worth $73,200, an FHA loan with 3.5% down and the latest average rate (7.18%). That payment would take 20% of the typical household income in Helena-West Helena, which is $36,019 a year.

The calculator's FHA and conventional loan limits are those of all of Phillips County.

Your numbers

Local data
$

Starts at the typical home value in Helena-West Helena. Change it to the price you have in mind.

Loan type
Your credit score

Your score changes which loans apply and FHA's minimum down payment. Your real rate also depends on your credit.

Down payment
%

That is $2,562 (3.5% of the price). The usual minimum for this loan is 3.5%.

This week's average ± a quarter or half point.

Term

National average as of November 5, 2026 (Freddie Mac); your rate may be different.

Adjust advanced details

Estimated monthly payment

Local data

$607

at 7.18% · 30 years

Loan amount
$71,874
Total interest
$103,410
Paid off in
November 2056

Includes $1,236 FHA upfront mortgage insurance premium.

Does it fit the income?

  • Comfortable

    up to $840 a month

    Your payment · 20%

  • Tight

    $840 to $1,081 a month

  • Hard

    more than $1,081 a month

Compared with the typical household income in Helena-West Helena ($36,019 a year). Reference: HUD calls paying more than 30% of income for housing a cost burden.

Show the result as
per month$607
Principal & interest$487
Property tax$57
Home insurance$31
FHA mortgage insurance (MIP)$32

You need at least $2,562 for the down payment, plus closing costs.

Next step

This is an estimate to give you an idea, not a loan offer. Your real payment depends on your rate, your credit, and the insurance and taxes on the home you buy.

The city and its county

Helena-West Helena and Phillips County

Helena-West Helena is in Phillips County, Arkansas. The U.S. Census Bureau publishes its own numbers for the city: home values, rent, household income, how many households own their home and the property tax. They are American Community Survey estimates (average 2020–2024).

Helena-West Helena's own numbers

Typical home value
$73,200
Typical monthly rent
$771
Typical yearly household income
$36,019
Households that own their home
42%
Effective property tax rate
0.93%

U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (average 2020–2024).

Numbers for all of Phillips County

FHA limit, one-unit home
$541,287
Conventional limit, one unit
$832,750
HUD fair market rent, 2 bedrooms
$909
Homes in a high flood-risk zone
16%

HUD, FHFA and FEMA don't publish these numbers by city.

Other numbers are not published by city, only for the whole county: FHA and conventional loan limits, HUD’s fair market rents, FHFA’s price index and FEMA’s flood data. On this page, those numbers always say they are for all of Phillips County.

Everything about Phillips County

Buying

Buying a home in Helena-West Helena

A typical home in Helena-West Helena is worth $73,200: 6% below the county and 61% below Arkansas. With the typical household income in Helena-West Helena ($36,019 a year), a typical home costs 2.0 times what the household earns in a year.

Years of income to pay for a typical home

The typical home value divided by the typical household income for one year. The lower it is, the less buying weighs.

  • Helena-West Helena 2.0 years
  • Phillips 1.9 years
  • Arkansas 3.1 years
  • United States 4.1 years
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Average 2020–2024

How prices have changed in Phillips County

FHFA publishes no annual price index in Phillips County. That usually happens when there are too few sales to measure it.

FHFA does not publish this index by city: these are the numbers for all of Phillips County.

Period County Arkansas U.S.
Last year (2025) — +3.4% +2.9%
5 years (2020–2025) — +52% +47%
10 years (2015–2025) — +79% +85%

The index follows the price of the same homes over time (sales and appraisals with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans). It is not the average price of a home. FHFA considers its annual county indexes experimental. Source: FHFA, 2025 data

Helena-West Helena next to Phillips County, Arkansas and the U.S.

Three numbers side by side. “Typical” means the median: half are above it and half below.

Typical home value
  • Helena-West Helena $73,200
  • Phillips $78,200
  • Arkansas $188,000
  • United States $332,700
Typical monthly rent
  • Helena-West Helena $771
  • Phillips $737
  • Arkansas $947
  • United States $1,413
Typical yearly household income
  • Helena-West Helena $36,019
  • Phillips $40,134
  • Arkansas $60,773
  • United States $80,734
See the full table
Helena-West Helena next to Phillips County and Arkansas
Measure Helena-West Helena Phillips County Arkansas U.S.
Typical home value $73,200 $78,200 $188,000 $332,700
Typical monthly rent $771 $737 $947 $1,413
Typical yearly household income $36,019 $40,134 $60,773 $80,734
Households that own their home 42% 51% 66% 65%
Typical yearly property tax $681 $636 $1,040 $3,119
Effective property tax rate 0.93% 0.81% 0.55% 0.94%
Renters with high rent for their income 63% 59% 45% 51%

“Typical” means the median: half are above and half are below. ▲ and ▼ say whether the city is above or below Phillips County. “High rent” is the Census measure: renter households that pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

Four ways to pay for a typical home in Helena-West Helena

For a typical $73,200 home in Helena-West Helena, at Freddie Mac's average rate (7.18% as of November 5, 2026) over 30 years. The monthly payment adds principal and interest, Helena-West Helena's typical property tax, an example home insurance and mortgage insurance when it applies.

  • FHA, 3.5% down $607a month

    Least cash to close
    Down payment
    $2,562
    Cash to close
    $4,758
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    FHA MIP · $32

  • Conventional, 5% down $593a month

    Down payment
    $3,660
    Cash to close
    $5,856
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    PMI · $35

  • Conventional, 20% down, no PMI $484a month

    Down payment
    $14,640
    Cash to close
    $16,836
    Rate
    7.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

  • ITIN, 15% down (example) $552a month

    Down payment
    $10,980
    Cash to close
    $13,176
    Rate
    8.18%
    Mortgage insurance
    None

The option that asks for the least cash to close is FHA, 3.5% down.

  • Cash to close = down payment plus 3% of the price in closing costs (example).
  • Minimum score: FHA requires 580 or higher for the minimum down payment (HUD Handbook 4000.1). * Fannie Mae requires 620 when a loan is underwritten by hand; its automated system has no fixed minimum.
  • The ITIN row is an example with a rate 1 percentage point higher: ITIN loans follow no federal rule and each lender sets its own down payment and rate. Nothing in this table promises an approval.

How much house can I afford? Estimate closing costs

Taxes and floods

Two costs that change from place to place

Property tax and flood insurance raise or lower what you pay each month. Here are the numbers for Helena-West Helena and for Phillips County.

Property tax

Effective rate in Helena-West Helena

0.93%of the home’s value each year

$681 a year for the typical owner in Helena-West Helena.

  • Helena-West Helena 0.93%
  • Phillips 0.81%
  • Arkansas 0.55%

What Arkansas publishes Homestead property tax credit (Arkansas General Assembly (Act 174 of the 2026 Fiscal Session))

Exemptions and deadlines in Arkansas

Flood risk in Phillips County

FEMA does not publish these numbers by city: they are for all of Phillips County.

Homes in the high-risk zone
16%
1,118
Of those, with NFIP insurance
9.6%
County Arkansas U.S.
Homes in the high-risk zone 16% 3.4% 3.5%
Of those, with NFIP insurance 9.6% 17% 48%

Most homeowners insurance policies do not cover flood damage.

Look up your address on FEMA’s map

Renting

Renting in Helena-West Helena

Typical rent in Helena-West Helena is $771 a month: 5% above the county. In Helena-West Helena, 63% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income in rent.

HUD publishes a fair market rent for all of Phillips County, by unit size. To pay the 2-bedroom one ($909 a month) without spending more than 30% of your income, you would need to earn $17.48 an hour working full time.

HUD fair market rent for all of Phillips County

What you need to earn to pay it without spending more than 30% of income, working full time.

Size Fair rent a month Hourly wage Yearly income
Studio $646 $12.42 $25,840
1 bedroom $695 $13.37 $27,800
2 bedrooms $909 $17.48 $36,360
3 bedrooms $1,259 $24.21 $50,360
4 bedrooms $1,367 $26.29 $54,680

Includes basic utilities. It isn't the lowest or highest rent: it's a reference point. Source: HUD, Fiscal year 2027

By ZIP code

Fair market rent by ZIP code in Helena-West Helena

HUD also publishes a fair market rent for each ZIP code (Small Area FMR, fiscal year 2027). Helena-West Helena has 2 ZIP codes with their own.

For 2 bedrooms it runs from $910 in 72390 to $950 in 72342.

2 of the 2 are above the fair market rent for Phillips County ($909).

  • 72342 $950$1,320
  • 72390 $910$1,260

2 of these ZIP codes cross the city line: HUD sets the rent by ZIP code, not by city. A ZIP code counts for Helena-West Helena when at least 50% of its land is inside the city or it covers at least 15% of the city (Census 2020 boundaries). Source: Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Fiscal year 2027 Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) Source: Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file Data from 2020 data Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file

Is your rent high for your ZIP?

Free help

Help to buy or rent in Helena-West Helena

You do not have to do this alone. A HUD-approved housing counseling agency helps for free or at low cost: getting ready to buy, understanding your credit, or solving a problem with your rent.

There is 1 HUD-approved agency with an office in Phillips County; none says it serves in Spanish.

A young woman and a young man point to a line in their notes beside a laptop in a library.

HUD counseling is free or low-cost

Assistance programs in Helena-West Helena

No down payment, repair or rent-help program on our list is for Helena-West Helena or Phillips County. The ones below are statewide in Arkansas: they work in Helena-West Helena the same as in the rest of the state.

Which programs do I qualify for? All programs in Arkansas

  • ADFA Down Payment Assistance Loan Program

    Statewide in Arkansas

    Arkansas state authority second mortgage of $1,000 to $15,000 for the down payment and closing costs, over 10 years and at the same rate as the ADFA first mortgage (Move-Up or StartSmart). Offered by Arkansas Development Finance Authority (ADFA).

    Repayable

    See the program Official page

Housing counselors near Helena-West Helena

The HUD-approved agencies closest to the center of Helena-West Helena, in a straight line, nearest first. If one says it serves in Spanish, its card says so.

  • Southern Bancorp Community Partners

    425 Plaza, West Helena · 1 miles away

    Also serves in other languages.

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 6 more
    (870) 816-1126

  • Southern Bancorp Community Partners

    326 Highway 463 N, Trumann · 79 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 6 more
    (870) 816-1126

  • Community Resources Technicians, Inc.

    800 Scott St, Little Rock · 95 miles away

    • Mortgage delinquency and default
    • Budget and financial counseling
    • and 4 more
    (501) 372-2611

Every agency in Phillips County All counseling agencies in Arkansas

Help in Spanish near Helena-West Helena

None of the 3 agencies on this list say they serve in Spanish.

Ask for service in Spanish

When you call, say “Spanish, please” or ask if someone speaks Spanish. If not, ask whether they offer an interpreter.

Housing authorities of Helena-West Helena

HUD’s record names them for Helena-West Helena or Phillips County. They run public housing or Section 8 vouchers. Ask whether their waiting list is open.

  • Phillips County Public Housing Agency Section 8 vouchers (870) 338-3476

One other authority has an office in Phillips County: see the list Source: HUD

Cities

Nearby cities

The cities closest to Helena-West Helena, with the typical home value.

Everything about Phillips County Housing in Arkansas

Neighboring counties

If Phillips County is out of reach, look next door. Each number is that county's own.

Keep going

Guides for your next step

Short explanations, in plain language and with official sources, for buying or renting in Helena-West Helena.

All guides
A man and two girls read a book together on the sofa.

Questions

Housing questions about Helena-West Helena

Short answers with the numbers for Helena-West Helena and all of Phillips County. If your case is different, a HUD-approved counseling agency can guide you for free or at low cost.

How much does a typical home cost in Helena-West Helena?

The typical home value in Helena-West Helena is $73,200, according to the U.S. Census Bureau (average 2020–2024). For comparison, in Phillips County it is $78,200.

How much does it cost to rent in Helena-West Helena?

Typical rent in Helena-West Helena is $771 a month, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. HUD’s fair market rent for 2 bedrooms in Phillips County is $909.

What is the FHA loan limit in Helena-West Helena?

Helena-West Helena uses the FHA limit for all of Phillips County (2026): $541,287 for a one-unit home and $1,041,125 for a four-unit home.

How much property tax do owners pay in Helena-West Helena?

The typical homeowner in Helena-West Helena pays $681 a year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That is 0.93% of the home’s value; in Phillips County, the rate is 0.81%.

Where can I find free help to buy or rent in Helena-West Helena?

There is 1 HUD-approved counseling agency with an office in Phillips County. They can help you get ready to buy, with your credit, or with rent.

Sources: American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates (Average 2020–2024); FHA mortgage limits (HUD) (2026 data); Conforming loan limits (FHFA) (2026 data); Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Small Area Fair Market Rents (HUD) (Fiscal year 2027); Census Bureau ZCTA-to-place relationship file (2020 data); HUD-approved housing counseling agencies (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Public Housing Agencies (HUD) (Retrieved November 6, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) (As of November 5, 2026); FHFA House Price Index (HPI) (2025 data); Homes with flood insurance (NFIP, FEMA) (As of August 3, 2026).