Best Places72538, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72538, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
72538 ranks 28,689th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 72538
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.
72538's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72538 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 91% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 72538 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$47,230 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72538
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72538 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $47,230, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 72538's effective rate of 0.40%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72538
72538 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72538.
Who works in 72538, and how
Work in 72538 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in 72538
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72538.
What the weather is like in 72538, month by month
72538 sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 37° | 29° |
| April | 71° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 73° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 72538
The nearest airport, Boone County, is about 59 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 153 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72538
Schools across 72538 average a C+, better than 45% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hackler Intermediate SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Viola Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pinkston Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Viola High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72538 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72538 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 72538 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72538
Is 72538 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72538 ranks 28,689th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, affordable childcare, and low property taxes, and lowest on biking and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72538 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $223,826. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $47,230 median income, cost of living beats 10% of zip codes.
Is 72538 safe?
Yes, 72538 is safer than 81% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $328 per resident a year.
Compare 72538 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72538. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72538 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.
72538 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72538: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72538: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72538: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72538: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72538 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.