ZIP 72027 vs ZIP 72157

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72027 (Center Ridge, AR) and ZIP 72157 (Springfield, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72027 has a population of 1,417 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 72157 has 1,607 at 12 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 72027 reports a median household income of $61,450 against $62,931 in ZIP 72157, with per-capita income of $32,103 vs $22,963. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.3% in 72027 and 13.9% in 72157. Poverty rate reads 11.8% vs 12.5%, and unemployment 3.9% vs 6.1% — 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 $84,000 in 72027 versus $140,300 in 72157, with median rent of $1,313 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.9% vs 86.1%. 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.