Best Places72544, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72544, 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.
72544 ranks 26,811th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72544
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.
72544's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72544 ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 72544 ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$48,733 median, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72544
A household needs to earn about $46,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72544 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $48,733, 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 72544's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72544
72544 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72544.
Who works in 72544, and how
Work in 72544 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 72544
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72544.
What the weather is like in 72544, month by month
72544 sees roughly 80 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 72544
The nearest airport, Boone County, is about 54 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 156 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72544
Schools across 72544 average a B−, better than 57% 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 72544 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72544 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 72544 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72544
Is 72544 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72544 ranks 26,811th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on clean air, affordable childcare, and state finances, and lowest on empty homes and low incomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72544 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $184,110. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $48,733 median income, cost of living beats 10% of zip codes.
Is 72544 safe?
Yes, 72544 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $344 per resident a year.
Compare 72544 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72544. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72544 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.
72544 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72544: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72544: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72544: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72544: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72544 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.