72540 is a Republican stronghold. About 19% of voters here vote Democratic and 81% Republican.
About 57% of adults in 72540 typically vote, near the U.S. average of about 62%. Among adults in 72540, ~11% vote Democratic, ~46% Republican, and ~43% don't vote. The map below shows estimated turnout by block group.
How 72540 compares
Among zip codes within 15 miles, 72540 is the least Republican-leaning.
72540 runs about 32 points more Republican than Arkansas as a whole.
Why 72540 leans the way it does
This analysis examined 14,881 data points per zip code to find what predicts political lean and turnout. The items below are a few correlations that stood out for 72540, not a ranked or complete list of what matters most.
Rural areas with a high white share vote Republican. 72540 sits in the bottom quarter on density and about 99% of residents are non-Hispanic white, about 22 points above the Arkansas average of 77%.
Walkability and Republican lean
Places with a low walkability score tend to lean Republican; 72540, AR sits in the bottom tenth nationally on this measure. A walkable street grid does not change how people vote; it mostly reflects how urban a place is.
Why turnout in 72540 looks the way it does
High-crime urban areas turn out at lower rates, mostly because the housing stress common in those areas makes voting harder. 72540 sits in the top 15% nationally on a violent-crime measure. See CrimeGrade for more details. Limited routine healthcare access lines up with lower turnout, and 72540 sits in the bottom quarter on routine-care measures. Learn more about the findings and methodology on the political spectrum map.
Nearby Zip Codes
Zip Codes with Similar Populations
Sources and methodology
Precinct-level voting records used to fit the model come from Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections, distributed by the Voting and Election Science Team. Demographic inputs come from the U.S. Census Bureau (ACS 5-year estimates and the 2020 Decennial Census). Health and environmental inputs come from the CDC (PLACES and the Environmental Justice Index). Land cover comes from the USGS and EPA. Election-day and lead-up weather come from PRISM 4km daily grids and the NOAA Global Historical Climatology Network. Mail-voting and election-administration patterns come from the MIT Election Lab's Survey of the Performance of American Elections. Block-group crime detail comes from CrimeGrade. Internet data and modeling support provided by ISPreports.org.
Modeling and analysis by the BestNeighborhood data science team. Full methodology and findings: political spectrum map.
Methodology reviewed by the BestNeighborhood data team. Last updated May 2026.