Bull Shoals is a city in Marion County, Arkansas, United States, founded in 1954. The population was 1,952 at the 2020 census.<br>2014 Estimate
| align = right
| align-fn = center
2020 census
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+Bull Shoals racial composition
!scope="col"| Race
!scope="col"| Number
!scope="col"| Percentage
|-
!scope="row"| White (non-Hispanic)
| 1,779
| 91.14%
|-
!scope="row"| Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
| 5
| 0.26%
|-
!scope="row"| Native American
| 9
| 0.46%
|-
!scope="row"| Asian
| 8
| 0.41%
|-
!scope="row"| Other/Mixed
| 96
| 4.92%
|-
!scope="row"| Hispanic or Latino
| 55
| 2.82%
|}
As of the 2020 census, Bull Shoals had a population of 1,952. The median age was 60.3 years. 13.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 39.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.7 males age 18 and over.
There were 993 households and 572 families in Bull Shoals, of which 14.7% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.1% were married-couple households, 24.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 1,950 people, 1,014 households, and 650 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,226 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.05% White, 0.30% Black or African American, 0.45% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.10% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. 1.05% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,014 households, out of which 11.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 20.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.96 and the average family size was 2.39.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 11.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 16.1% from 25 to 44, 30.0% from 45 to 64, and 38.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 59 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,139, and the median income for a family was $34,219. Males had a median income of $23,125 versus $16,950 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,636. About 9.1% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.2% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Students from Bull Shoals attend the Flippin School District, which operates Flippin High School.
Culture
Bull Shoals has been honored as an Arkansas Volunteer Community of the Year for five years.
Liquidforce and Brostock 2010 chose Bull Shoals as the location of their professional wakeboarding tournament in July 2010 and June 2011. Surf the Bull, an annual grassroots wakesurfing event and competition, is hosted by Bull Shoals Lake Boat Dock and presented by several members of the wakesurfing community every summer in late July/early August. The lake has also hosted numerous professional bass and walleye fishing tournaments over the years. Additionally, the city co-hosts the annual HillBilly Chili Cookoff selecting Arkansas' Best Chili to compete internationally in the International Chili Society competitions.
Government
Bull Shoals has a mayor/council form of government with six council members. The current mayor of Bull Shoals is Bill Stahlman. The previous mayor was Michael Savu.
Incoming District 17 Arkansas State Senator Scott Flippo is a businessman in Bull Shoals but resides in his native Mountain Home.
Notable people
- Loren P. Thompson, Minnesota state legislator and resort owner, lived in Bull Shoals; Thompson also served as mayor of Bull Shoals.