Best Places72181, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72181, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
72181 ranks 3,162nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 72181
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.
72181's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72181 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$135,625 median, better than 94% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 87% of zip codes
Where 72181 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 67 pleasant days a year, better than only 20% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72181
A household needs to earn about $89,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72181 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $135,625, 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 72181's effective rate of 0.41%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 72181
72181's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72181.
Who works in 72181, and how
Work in 72181 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 0%
Life in 72181
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72181.
What the weather is like in 72181, month by month
72181 sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 40° | 31° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 77° | 64° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 72181
The nearest airport, Bill and Hillary Clinton Ntl/Adams Field, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 140 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72181
Schools across 72181 average an A−, better than 87% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Greenbrier Wooster ElementaryA · 67% proficient
Top middle schools
- Greenbrier Middle SchoolA · 66% proficient
Top high schools
- Greenbrier High SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72181 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72181 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 72181 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72181
Is 72181 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72181 ranks 3,162nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, what local pay buys, and high incomes, and lowest on biking and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72181 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $357,900. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $135,625 median income, cost of living beats 98% of zip codes.
Is 72181 safe?
Yes, 72181 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $404 per resident a year.
Compare 72181 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72181. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72181 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.
72181 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72181: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72181: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72181: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72181: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72181 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.