Best Places72104, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72104, 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.
72104 ranks 27,971st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72104
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.
72104's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72104 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$483 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 72104 ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72104
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72104 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $60,385, 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 72104's effective rate of 0.56%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72104
72104 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72104.
Who works in 72104, and how
Work in 72104 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 72104
72104 has more parkland per resident than 73% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 72104 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 72104, month by month
72104 sees roughly 86 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 75° | 63° | 53° |
| July | 93° | 83° | 74° |
| October | 78° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 72104
The nearest airport, Memorial Field, is about 18 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 168 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72104
Schools across 72104 average a D+, better than 18% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ouachita Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Harmony Grove Elem. SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Bismarck Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bismarck Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Glen Rose Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
- Malvern Junior High SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Bismarck High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Harmony Grove High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Ouachita High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72104 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72104 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 72104 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 72104 suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 72104
Is 72104 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72104 ranks 27,971st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, affordable childcare, and state finances, and lowest on summer heat and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72104 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $146,277. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $60,385 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 72104 safe?
72104 is safer than 41% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $537 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 72104?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 34. That works out to about 86 pleasant days a year, more than 52% of zip codes.
Is 72104 good for families?
Schools beat 18% of zip codes, crime safety beats 41%, and childcare runs $483 a month.
Compare 72104 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72104. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72104 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.
72104 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72104: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72104: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72104: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72104: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72104 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.