1st Advantage MortgageBentonville, AR DSCR loans work like they do elsewhere: the lender divides the property's rent by its full monthly payment. The local inputs are a median gross rent of $1,344, median real estate taxes of $2,871 and a renter share of 50%.
Local data for Bentonville investors
A DSCR lender in Bentonville is comparing a rent against a payment, and the citywide benchmarks are a median gross rent of $1,344 and a median home value of $428,500. The rent figure is well above the Arkansas median of $947. Dividing a year of median rent by the median home value gives a gross rent-to-value ratio of 3.8%, a lean ratio that leaves little room for taxes, insurance and dues. It mixes apartments and houses, so treat it as a compass and not as the number for any one property.
| Indicator | Arkansas | Bentonville | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual property tax bill, median | $1,040 | $2,871 | +176% |
| Household income, median | $60,773 | $112,792 | +86% |
| Typical owner-occupied value | $188,000 | $428,500 | +128% |
| Typical monthly rent | $947 | $1,344 | +42% |
| Persons per household | 2.46 | 2.55 | |
| Share in 2-4 unit buildings | 6.5% | 7.2% | +11% |
| Share of homes detached | 70.0% | 62.1% | -11% |
| Long commuters, 45 min plus | 11.4% | 4.1% | -64% |
| Workers on their own account | 10.4% | 10.5% | +2% |
| Units sitting vacant | 13.5% | 9.3% | -31% |
| Typical construction year | 1987 | 2007 | |
| Annual rent divided by value | 6.0% | 3.8% | -38% |
| Households that rent | 33.6% | 49.6% | +48% |
| Tax as a share of home value | 0.55% | 0.67% | +21% |
| Residents (Census estimate) | 3,049,391 | 58,249 |
Renters make up 49.6% of households in Bentonville (well above the Arkansas median of 34%), so rental demand is real but not overwhelming. Incomes matter for rent growth: the median household earns $112,792, well above the Arkansas median of $60,773, and 28% of renters are already cost-burdened at 30 percent of income or more.
Homes, buildings and vacancies in Bentonville
Detached houses are 62% of all units in Bentonville. That mix favors single-family rentals and makes small multifamily scarcer and, sometimes, more valuable. Median year built is 2007, which means newer stock, lower near-term repair risk and many properties inside associations.
Use vacancy as a reality check: 9% of all units are vacant in Bentonville, and the rental vacancy rate is 7.6%.
How investors should read Bentonville
A gross yield of 3.8% means Bentonville is a market where purchase prices run ahead of rent, so a 1.0 ratio generally takes a larger down payment or a property priced below the local median. With newer homes common (median built 2007), insurers tend to be friendlier, though competing new rentals can cap rent. Renters are 50% of households, which gives investors a real tenant base to market to.
What costs can do to a Bentonville ratio
Tax drag is easy to underestimate. Bentonville owners report a median $2,871 in annual real estate taxes, well above the Arkansas median of $1,040, an effective 0.67% of median home value. Compared with annual median rent, the tax line is about 18%.
FEMA's National Risk Index (version 1.20, December 2025) rates Benton County as relatively moderate overall for natural hazard risk, with ice storms (very high), winter weather (relatively high) and lightning (relatively high) among its leading hazards.
| Hazard in Benton County, FEMA index | Level |
|---|---|
| Strong wind exposure | Relatively High |
| Lightning exposure | Relatively High |
| Winter weather exposure | Relatively High |
| Ice storms exposure | Very High |
| Social vulnerability score | Very Low |
| Annualized loss estimate | Relatively Moderate |
| Composite risk | Relatively Moderate |
A Bentonville landlord policy is priced on roof, age, wiring and location, and the annual premium divided by twelve lands in the payment the lender tests.
Working the Bentonville rent math
At the city medians a DSCR file in Bentonville has $1,105 a month after taxes to cover principal, interest, insurance and dues if the ratio is 1.00, or $836 if the ratio is 1.25. Those two numbers show why insurance quotes and tax estimates come first.
Registration, deposits and nightly stays in Bentonville
Rental registration, inspection and nightly-stay rules differ by city, and we have not verified Bentonville's from a municipal source. A short call to the city and Benton County before you make an offer is cheap insurance. Nightly stays carry state tax in Arkansas. Arkansas adds a state tourism tax on transient lodging to its sales tax, with local taxes on top, and marketplaces such as Airbnb generally collect the state taxes for bookings they process while hosts answer for local taxes the platform does not collect.
Deposits come due back within 60 days of the tenant leaving, and Bentonville owners should document condition at both ends of the lease.
Comparing Bentonville with surrounding markets
Looking across the table, values run from $221,700 (Siloam Springs) up to $349,600 (Fayetteville), and Bentonville lands at $428,500.
| Market | Renter share | Tax bill | Home value | Residents | Rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siloam Springs | 41% | $1,393 | $221,700 | 18,699 | $1,003 |
| Fayetteville | 58% | $1,946 | $349,600 | 99,319 | $1,065 |
| Springdale | 47% | $1,430 | $261,800 | 88,160 | $1,071 |
| Rogers | 43% | $1,565 | $308,200 | 72,981 | $1,270 |
| Bentonville | 50% | $2,871 | $428,500 | 58,249 | $1,344 |
Who rents in Bentonville
Roughly 10.5% of employed people in Bentonville are self-employed, a base of investors and landlords for whom a rent-based loan is a practical option. Other workforce markers: government workers are about 6% of employment, 55% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher and 4% of commuters travel 45 minutes or more.
Employers named in Wikipedia's Bentonville entry include Walmart Inc., Northwest Health System, Mercy of Northwest Arkansas, Bentonville School District and Benton County, Arkansas, which is where many tenants earn the income that pays rent. Education is part of the Bentonville rental picture, with Northwest Arkansas Community College among the institutions listed. For getting around, Bentonville has interstate access via I-49 and air service through Northwest Arkansas National Airport and Bentonville Municipal Airport, which matters to commuters and to out-of-town owners planning a visit.
Next steps for a Bentonville purchase
Bring the Bentonville numbers to a loan officer: the rent, the taxes, the insurance and your reserves. Apply online or ask for a quote, and use the calculator to preview the ratio.
More Arkansas markets
- All Arkansas DSCR loans
- DSCR loans in Rogers, AR
- DSCR loans in Springdale, AR
- DSCR loans in Fayetteville, AR
- DSCR loans in Siloam Springs, AR
- Every market we cover
Where we checked
- Arkansas DFA, sales and use tax rates (Arkansas)
- 2020 to 2024 ACS data used for Bentonville
- National Risk Index entry, Benton County
- Bentonville overview (Wikipedia)
- Deposit statute: Ark. Code 18-16-303, 18-16-304, 18-16-305, 18-16-306
Numbers for Bentonville come from the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 ACS and are survey estimates. RedFlagLease (CC BY 4.0) supplies the Arkansas landlord-tenant notes, and the statutes are linked. Last reviewed October 2026; the city and county have the final word on Bentonville rules.
Pre-offer checklist
Ask the seller for twelve months of utility bills and any lease on the Bentonville property, confirm who pays water, trash and lawn care, and get the insurance quote before the inspection period ends so the ratio is tested on real numbers.
DSCR loan availability varies by property and lender program and is not an offer to lend. See our disclosures.
Frequently asked questions
How does a lender pick the rent for a Bentonville DSCR file?
The property's own rent evidence decides: a lease, or the market rent from the appraisal. Citywide, Bentonville renters report a median of $1,344.
What payment can a Bentonville rent support?
Yes, the payment includes principal, interest, taxes, insurance and association dues. At the Bentonville median rent of $1,344, a 1.25 ratio allows about $1,075 in total payment, of which roughly $239 a month goes to median taxes.
What does Benton County charge in property tax, in practice?
Median taxes paid are $2,871 a year, or 0.67% of median value, compared with 0.55% statewide. Ask Benton County's tax office what the bill becomes after your sale.
What about VRBO or Airbnb income on a Bentonville purchase?
Possible where lender guidelines allow it, subject to Bentonville and Benton County rules and to the building's association. Lenders usually average a year of bookings and discount the result.
What deposit rules apply to a AR rental?
Landlords in Bentonville follow Ark. Code 18-16-303, 18-16-304, 18-16-305, 18-16-306. Return deadline: 60 days from move-out.
How exposed is Bentonville to natural hazards?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall natural hazard risk as relatively moderate. That is a county-level view, so check the FEMA flood map and an insurance quote for the exact Bentonville address.
How do LLC closings work for Bentonville rentals?
An individual can borrow too. If you prefer an entity for the Bentonville purchase, expect to provide formation documents and sign a personal guaranty.