Best Places72017, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72017, 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.
72017 ranks 26,237th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72017
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.
72017's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72017 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$459 a month, better than 98% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 86% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 72017 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72017
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72017 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $84,059, 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 72017's effective rate of 0.66%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 72017
72017 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 72017.
Who works in 72017, and how
Work in 72017 centers on retail trade and agriculture & forestry. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 72017
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72017.
What the weather is like in 72017, month by month
72017 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 35. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 42° | 35° |
| April | 74° | 63° | 54° |
| July | 92° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 77° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 72017
The nearest airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton Ntl/Adams Field, is about 47 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 82 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72017
Schools across 72017 average a C−, better than 28% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Des Arc Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Hazen Elementary SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- C.b. Partee Elementary SchoolF · 8% proficient
Top high schools
- Des Arc High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Hazen High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
- Clarendon High SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72017 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72017 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 72017 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72017
Is 72017 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72017 ranks 26,237th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a stable housing market, and what local pay buys, and lowest on summer heat and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72017 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $92,055. The overall cost of living runs about 25% below the national average. Set against a $84,059 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 72017 safe?
72017 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $572 per resident a year.
Compare 72017 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72017. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72017 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.
72017 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72017: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72017: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72017: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72017: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72017 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.