Best Places72704, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72704, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
72704 ranks 5,028th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72704
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.
72704's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72704 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 72704 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 71 pleasant days a year, better than only 27% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72704
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72704 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $95,469, 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 72704's effective rate of 0.61%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72704
72704 runs younger 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 72704.
Who works in 72704, and how
Work in 72704 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 72704
72704 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 90% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 72704 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 72704, month by month
72704 sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 49, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 49° | 37° | 27° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 47° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 74° | 60° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 72704
The nearest airport, Northwest Arkansas Ntl, is about 14 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 223 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72704
Schools across 72704 average a B−, better than 59% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bernice Young ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Holcomb Elementary SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Butterfield Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hellstern Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Randall G. Lynch Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Prairie Grove Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Fayetteville High School EastB− · 45% proficient
- Gentry High SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Prairie Grove High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72704 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72704 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 72704 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 72704 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 88% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 15% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 72704
Is 72704 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72704 ranks 5,028th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, population health, and an educated workforce, and lowest on noise and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72704 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $313,080. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $95,469 median income, cost of living beats 88% of zip codes.
Is 72704 safe?
Yes, 72704 is safer than 86% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $317 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 72704?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 49 with lows near 27. That works out to about 71 pleasant days a year, more than 27% of zip codes.
Is 72704 good for families?
Schools beat 59% of zip codes, crime safety beats 86%, and childcare runs $671 a month.
Compare 72704 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72704. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72704 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.
72704 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72704: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72704: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72704: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72704: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72704 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.