ZIP 72342 vs ZIP 72390

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72342 (Helena, AR) and ZIP 72390 (West Helena, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72342 has a population of 5,532 at 24 people per square mile, while ZIP 72390 has 9,107 at 96 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 72342 reports a median household income of $36,905 against $38,294 in ZIP 72390, with per-capita income of $20,836 vs $19,783. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.8% in 72342 and 13.5% in 72390. Poverty rate reads 26.6% vs 30.3%, and unemployment 18.1% vs 11.9% — 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 $97,200 in 72342 versus $64,700 in 72390, with median rent of $704 and $782 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 36.9% vs 52.4%. 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.