ZIP 72021 vs ZIP 72029

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72021 (Brinkley, AR) and ZIP 72029 (Clarendon, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72021 has a population of 4,348 at 9 people per square mile, while ZIP 72029 has 1,912 at 15 per square mile. That difference in population size and density alone reshapes how every other metric should be interpreted — a higher-income ZIP with 1,200 residents behaves very differently from one with 45,000.

On income and education, ZIP 72021 reports a median household income of $41,310 against $35,515 in ZIP 72029, with per-capita income of $25,636 vs $21,436. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.3% in 72021 and 13.1% in 72029. Poverty rate reads 21.6% vs 22.6%, and unemployment 13.0% vs 6.6% — these four fields alone drive most of the difference in the scorecard grades you will see for each ZIP.

Housing separates these two ZIPs further: median home value sits at $94,200 in 72021 versus $66,800 in 72029, with median rent of $613 and $611 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 58.8% vs 64.4%. When reading the comparison table below, focus on paired metrics rather than single winners — a ZIP with lower home values and lower income is not strictly "worse" if rent-to-income ratios and commute times land in the same zone. Every value is pulled from the exact same ACS table so the two columns are genuinely comparable.