El Dorado is a city in Union County, Arkansas, home to about 17,115 people across 16 square miles. Its ZIP code is 71730.
Homes sold for a median of $100 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Mostly El Dorado; also Norphlet and Urbana
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside El Dorado. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up El Dorado’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | Frederick W. Smith International Airport (MEM)199 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field (ELD)9 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Memphis, TN202 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Dallas, TX239 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of El Dorado; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
El Dorado had 17,756 residents in the 2020 census, down 18% since 2000.
It’s the 27th largest of 615 towns in Arkansas by population.
Union County grew from 22,495 residents in 1900 to 39,054 in 2020.
Union County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 94°F in summer, and winter lows average 34°F. About 52.1 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, El Dorado S Ar Rgnl Ap, AR weather station (9 miles away).
15,851 jobs at 1,036 businesses in Union County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
275 doctors and other health care providers list an office in El Dorado.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 38 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 28 |
| Dentists | 17 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 65 |
| Mental health providers | 80 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 34 |
| Optometrists | 8 |
| Chiropractors | 5 |
| Pharmacies | 13 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (22 nearby)
Grocery stores (4 nearby)
Pharmacies (4 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 3 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1843.
Colleges and universities
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by El Dorado School District, Parkers Chapel School District, South Ark Career Center. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hugh Goodwin Elementary SchoolEl Dorado | Pre-K–4 | 508 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Parkers Chapel Elementary SchoolEl Dorado | Pre-K–6 | 491 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| Northwest Elementary SchoolEl Dorado | K–4 | 477 | Public | 1.6 mi |
| Yocum Elementary SchoolEl Dorado | K–4 | 580 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Barton Jr.. High SchoolEl Dorado | 5–8 | 540 | Public | 0.7 mi |
| Washington Middle SchoolEl Dorado | 5–6 | 581 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Parkers Chapel High SchoolEl Dorado | 7–12 | 356 | Public | 4.3 mi |
| El Dorado High SchoolEl Dorado | 9–12 | 1,235 | Public | 1.9 mi |
| South Arkansas Community College Technical CenterEl Dorado | 9–12 | — | Career and Technical | 2.9 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Side Christian SchoolEl Dorado | Pre-K–12 | 202 | Baptist | 1.8 mi |
| Maranatha Baptist Christian SchoolEl Dorado | K–12 | 43 | Baptist | 6.4 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Norphlet, Urbana, Calion and Lawson.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.