Best Places72438, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72438, 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.
72438 ranks 21,562nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 72438
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.
72438's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72438 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 72438 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72438
A household needs to earn about $35,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72438 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $58,854, 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 72438's effective rate of 0.50%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 72438
72438 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72438.
Who works in 72438, and how
Work in 72438 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 72438
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72438.
What the weather is like in 72438, month by month
72438 sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 39° | 32° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 52° |
| July | 92° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 76° | 64° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 72438
Memphis International sits about 63 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.4 million passengers in 2025, with 78 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 72438
Schools across 72438 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gosnell Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Buffalo Is. Central East Elem.B · 48% proficient
- Manila Elementary SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Manila High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Gosnell High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Buffalo Is. Central HsC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72438 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72438 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 72438 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72438
Is 72438 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72438 ranks 21,562nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, affordable childcare, and a stable housing market, and lowest on education levels and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72438 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $138,750. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $58,854 median income, cost of living beats 32% of zip codes.
Is 72438 safe?
Yes, 72438 is safer than 71% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $376 per resident a year.
Compare 72438 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72438. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72438 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.
72438 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72438: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72438: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72438: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72438: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72438 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.