ZIP 72908 vs ZIP 72901

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72908 (Fort Smith, AR) and ZIP 72901 (Fort Smith, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72908 has a population of 13,378 at 637 people per square mile, while ZIP 72901 has 21,591 at 952 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 72908 reports a median household income of $72,732 against $42,851 in ZIP 72901, with per-capita income of $40,553 vs $26,107. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 29.3% in 72908 and 19.1% in 72901. Poverty rate reads 10.9% vs 26.1%, and unemployment 3.9% vs 11.6% — 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 $197,000 in 72908 versus $118,100 in 72901, with median rent of $940 and $854 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.6% vs 43.3%. 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.