Best Places71725, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 71725, 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.
71725 ranks 32,913th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 71725
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.
71725's strengths and weaknesses
Where 71725 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$482 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 71725 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$22,137 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 71725
A household needs to earn about $28,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 71725 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $22,137, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 71725's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 71725
71725 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 71725.
Who works in 71725, and how
Work in 71725 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 16%
Life in 71725
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 71725.
What the weather is like in 71725, month by month
71725 sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 42° | 33° |
| April | 76° | 63° | 52° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 78° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 71725
The nearest airport, Memorial Field, is about 42 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 162 miles away.
The best schools in and around 71725
Schools across 71725 average a C−, better than 20% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rison Elementary SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Fordyce Elementary SchoolsC− · 27% proficient
- Malvern Elementary SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
Top middle schools
- Malvern Junior High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Rison High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Ouachita High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Fordyce High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 71725 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
71725 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 71725 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 71725
Is 71725 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 71725 ranks 32,913th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, affordable childcare, and a stable housing market, and lowest on a weak job market and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 71725 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $110,302. The overall cost of living runs about 28% below the national average. Set against a $22,137 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 71725 safe?
71725 is safer than 4% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $1,173 per resident a year.
Compare 71725 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 71725. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 71725 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.
71725 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 71725: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 71725: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 71725: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 71725: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
71725 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.