Best Places72717, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72717, 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.
72717 ranks 21,333rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and walkability ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 72717
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.
72717's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72717 ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 90% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 79% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 72717 ranks low
- WalkabilityBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- School gradeD+, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72717
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72717 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $66,212, 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 72717's effective rate of 0.41%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 72717
72717 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 72717.
Who works in 72717, and how
Work in 72717 centers on manufacturing and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 72717
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 72717.
What the weather is like in 72717, month by month
72717 sees roughly 69 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 72717
The nearest airport, Northwest Arkansas Ntl, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Kansas City International, about 239 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72717
Schools across 72717 average a D+, better than 15% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Lincoln Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lincoln Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Prairie Grove High SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Stilwell HsF · 9% proficient
- Westville HsF · 9% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72717 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72717 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 72717 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 72717
Is 72717 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72717 ranks 21,333rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low property taxes, state finances, and a strong job market, and lowest on walkability and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72717 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $217,132. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $66,212 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 72717 safe?
Yes, 72717 is safer than 79% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $336 per resident a year.
Compare 72717 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72717. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72717 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.
72717 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72717: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72717: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72717: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72717: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72717 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.