ZIP 72153 vs ZIP 72088

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72153 (Shirley, AR) and ZIP 72088 (Fairfield Bay, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72153 has a population of 2,572 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 72088 has 2,391 at 63 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 72153 reports a median household income of $50,253 against $56,594 in ZIP 72088, with per-capita income of $22,037 vs $43,698. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 9.9% in 72153 and 30.1% in 72088. Poverty rate reads 17.3% vs 11.3%, and unemployment 6.1% vs 3.9% — 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 $131,000 in 72153 versus $164,800 in 72088, with median rent of — and $838 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.9% vs 87.0%. 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.