Best Places72661, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72661, 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.
72661 ranks 29,535th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72661
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.
72661's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72661 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$481 a month, better than 95% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 89% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 72661 ranks low
- Short commute45.5 minutes each way, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$37,232 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72661
A household needs to earn about $43,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72661 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $37,232, 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 72661's effective rate of 0.62%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Who lives in 72661
72661 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 72661.
Who works in 72661, and how
Work in 72661 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 72661
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72661.
What the weather is like in 72661, month by month
72661 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 72661
The nearest airport, Boone County, is about 34 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 176 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72661
Schools across 72661 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hackler Intermediate SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Pinkston Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Lutie HighC · 30% proficient
- Flippin High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72661 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72661 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 72661 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72661
Is 72661 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72661 ranks 29,535th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a strong job market, and low crime, and lowest on long commutes and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72661 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $167,500. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $37,232 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 72661 safe?
Yes, 72661 is safer than 89% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $280 per resident a year.
Compare 72661 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72661. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72661 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.
72661 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72661: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72661: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72661: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72661: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72661 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.