Best Places71038, LA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 71038, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
71038 ranks 32,495th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 71038
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
71038's strengths and weaknesses
Where 71038 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$636 a month, better than 82% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 71038 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$29,548 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 71038
A household needs to earn about $20,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 71038 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $29,548, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 71038's effective rate of 0.27%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 71038
71038 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 71038.
Who works in 71038, and how
Work in 71038 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 95%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 71038
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 71038.
What the weather is like in 71038, month by month
71038 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 46° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 55° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 80° | 67° | 57° |
Flying in and out of 71038
The nearest airport, South Arkansas Regional at Goodwin Field, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 217 miles away.
The best schools in and around 71038
Schools across 71038 average a D+, better than 15% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Haynesville Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Junction City Elem. SchoolD · 19% proficient
- J. L. Jones Elementary SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top middle schools
- North Webster Junior High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Webster Junior High SchoolD− · 16% proficient
- Homer Junior High SchoolF · 6% proficient
Top high schools
- Emerson High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Minden High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Junction City High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 71038 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
71038 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 71038 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 71038
Is 71038 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 71038 ranks 32,495th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, tree cover, and a stable housing market, and lowest on health outcomes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 71038 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $82,933. The overall cost of living runs about 26% below the national average. Set against a $29,548 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 71038 safe?
71038 is safer than 7% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $858 per resident a year.
Compare 71038 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 71038. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 71038 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
71038 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 71038: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 71038: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 71038: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 71038: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
71038 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.