72404 receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.
Signals
29501
72404
Opportunity
64 · Top 32%
vs71 · Top 20%
Growth
77 · Top 7%
vs74 · Top 11%
Climate
76 · Top 26%
vs70 · Top 49%
Physical resilience
43 · Bottom 33%
vs50 · Bottom 42%
Housing affordability
97 · Top 17%
vs94 · Top 23%
Access
63 · Bottom 8%
vs73 · Bottom 15%
Economic stability
47 · Bottom 29%
vs58 · Bottom 47%
Measured values
| Metric | 29501 | 72404 | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 48,673 | 29,968 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $71,671 | $70,269 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $39,351 | $43,036 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 929/sq mi | 234/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $236,900 | $247,100 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,070 | $946 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 63.5% | 63.7% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 4.8% | 4.4% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | 2.3% | 2.6% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 33.5% | 37.6% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 13.5% | 13.9% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 474 | 792 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 11.7 | 9.9 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 45.0% | 2.1% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 92°F | 91°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 36°F | 31°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 45.3" | 48.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 63 mi | 49 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 21.4 min | 21.7 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 38.0 | 37.8 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 13 | 13 | 2024-25 school year |
| Students per teacher | 14.03 | 13.80 | 2024-25 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
29501
Elevated or high exposure: hurricane, earthquake.
72404
Elevated or high exposure: ice storm.
Full profiles: 29501 — Florence, SC · 72404 — Jonesboro, AR · How this is calculated: methodology