Best Places72644, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72644, 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.
72644 ranks 30,017th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72644
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.
72644's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72644 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 71% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 65% of zip codes
Where 72644 ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$52,707 median, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72644
A household needs to earn about $30,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72644 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,707, 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 72644'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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72644
72644'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 72644.
Who works in 72644, and how
Work in 72644 centers on education and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 72644
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72644.
What the weather is like in 72644, month by month
72644 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 45, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 45° | 36° | 28° |
| April | 69° | 58° | 48° |
| July | 89° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 71° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 72644
The nearest airport, Branson, is about 16 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 192 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72644
Schools across 72644 average a C−, better than 21% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bergman Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
- Omaha Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Lead Hill Elementary SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bergman Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Bergman High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Omaha High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Lead Hill High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72644 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72644 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 72644 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72644
Is 72644 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72644 ranks 30,017th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, state finances, and low property taxes, 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 72644 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $119,293. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $52,707 median income, cost of living beats 19% of zip codes.
Is 72644 safe?
72644 is safer than 34% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $555 per resident a year.
Compare 72644 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72644. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72644 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.
72644 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72644: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72644: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72644: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72644: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72644 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.