Best Places72532, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72532, 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.
72532 ranks 29,629th 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 72532
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.
72532's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72532 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 72532 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Household income$46,113 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 10% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72532
A household needs to earn about $30,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72532 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $46,113, 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 72532's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 72532
72532's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72532.
Who works in 72532, and how
Work in 72532 centers on health care & social and construction. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 72532
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72532.
What the weather is like in 72532, month by month
72532 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 37° | 27° |
| April | 72° | 58° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 75° | 60° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 72532
The nearest airport, Boone County, is about 87 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 117 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72532
Schools across 72532 average a C+, better than 44% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Melbourne Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Cherokee Elementary SchoolB · 46% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cave City Middle School Career And Collegiate PreparatoryB− · 41% proficient
- Highland Middle SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Izard County Cons Middle SchD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Melbourne High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Highland High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Hillcrest High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72532 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72532 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 72532 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72532
Is 72532 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72532 ranks 29,629th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, affordable childcare, and low property taxes, and lowest on education levels and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72532 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $122,878. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $46,113 median income, cost of living beats 8% of zip codes.
Is 72532 safe?
72532 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $522 per resident a year.
Compare 72532 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72532. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72532 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.
72532 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72532: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72532: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72532: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72532: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72532 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.