Best Places72903, AR Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 72903, 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.
72903 ranks 14,557th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and noise is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 72903
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.
72903's strengths and weaknesses
Where 72903 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$422 a month, better than 98% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Short commute16.5 minutes each way, better than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 72903 ranks low
- QuietBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 68 pleasant days a year, better than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 72903
A household needs to earn about $60,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 72903 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $69,887, 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 72903's effective rate of 0.60%, 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 72903
72903's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 72903.
Who works in 72903, and how
Work in 72903 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 72903
72903 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 98% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 72903 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 72903, month by month
72903 sees roughly 68 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 96 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 40° | 29° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 49° |
| July | 96° | 83° | 73° |
| October | 80° | 65° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 72903
The nearest airport, Fort Smith Regional, is about 2 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Dallas Love Field, about 224 miles away.
The best schools in and around 72903
Schools across 72903 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- John P. Woods Elem. SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Westwood Elementary SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Euper Lane Elementary SchoolB · 48% proficient
Top middle schools
- L. A. Chaffin Jr. High SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- East Hills Middle SchoolA− · 53% proficient
- Ramsey Junior High SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Greenwood High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Southside High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Van Buren High SchoolC · 34% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 72903 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
72903 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 72903 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 72903 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 8% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 72903
Is 72903 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 72903 ranks 14,557th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, fast internet, and short commutes, and lowest on noise and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 72903 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $235,115. The overall cost of living runs about 21% below the national average. Set against a $69,887 median income, cost of living beats 62% of zip codes.
Is 72903 safe?
72903 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $638 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 72903?
July highs average about 96 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 29. That works out to about 68 pleasant days a year, more than 21% of zip codes.
Is 72903 good for families?
Schools beat 58% of zip codes, crime safety beats 29%, and childcare runs $422 a month.
Compare 72903 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 72903. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 72903 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.
72903 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 72903: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 72903: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 72903: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 72903: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
72903 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.