72956 ZIP Code — Van Buren, AR

Crawford County, Arkansas

ZIP code 72956 is located in Van Buren, Arkansas, within Crawford County. It covers approximately 103.76 square miles and serves a population of 34,805 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Central (CT) timezone, served by area code 479.

About ZIP code 72956

The housing stock consists of predominantly single-family detached homes. Most homes were built in the 1990s, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $155,700. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 72%.

Median household income is $57,625. 36% of households receive Social Security income, suggesting a notable retiree or disability population.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 21 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 22% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (24%) compared to national benchmarks.

34,805

population

103.76

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Central (CT)

timezone

72956 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 72956

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 72956. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Van Buren	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

72904 Fort Smith (5 mi) 72952 Rudy (6.7 mi) 72903 Fort Smith (8.5 mi) 72919 Fort Smith (8.5 mi) 72921 Alma (8.5 mi) 72901 Fort Smith (8.6 mi) 72932 Cedarville (8.9 mi) 72955 Uniontown (10.1 mi) 74901 Arkoma (10.9 mi) 74954 Roland (11.4 mi) 72941 Lavaca (11.5 mi) 72908 Fort Smith (12.6 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	34,805
Population density	335 / sq mi
State FIPS	05
County FIPS	033

Geography
Land area	103.76 sq mi
Water area	3.73 sq mi
Latitude	35.4767
Longitude	-94.3448
Timezone	Central (CT)
Area code	479

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	48.4%	50.8%	50.4%
$50k – $100k	32.6%	30.9%	29.9%
$100k – $200k	16.8%	16.4%	15.7%
Over $200k	2.2%	2.0%	4.0%

Demographics & statistics

34,805

Population

335

People per sq mi

38.2

Median age

$57,625

Median household income

$30,013

Per capita income

$155,700

Median home value

$793

Median monthly rent

71.5%

Home ownership

16.5%

Poverty rate

6.5%

Unemployment

10,493

Housing units

21.7%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

1,071

Under 5

1,096

1,019

5–9

1,041

1,246

10–14

1,275

1,015

15–19

1,038

1,072

20–24

1,096

2,527

25–34

2,584

2,083

35–44

2,129

2,074

45–54

2,121

1,172

55–59

1,198

954

60–64

976

1,701

65–74

1,739

995

75–84

1,018

279

85+

286

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	8,098	23.3%
18 and over	26,707	76.7%
65 and over	6,018	17.3%
Median age	38.2 years

Race & ethnicity

White 77.8%

Two or more races 8.4%

Hispanic or Latino 7%

Other race 3%

Asian 1.7%

Black or African American 1.2%

American Indian / Alaska Native 1%

Group	Count	%
White	29,108	77.8%
Two or more races	3,130	8.4%
Hispanic or Latino	2,607	7%
Other race	1,129	3%
Asian	618	1.7%
Black or African American	450	1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	370	1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	48.4%	50.8%	50.4%
$50k – $100k	32.6%	30.9%	29.9%
$100k – $200k	16.8%	16.4%	15.7%
Over $200k	2.2%	2.0%	4.0%

Under $10k 5.8%

$10k–$15k 5.0%

$15k–$25k 7.3%

$25k–$35k 10.5%

$35k–$50k 14.3%

$50k–$75k 21.9%

$75k–$100k 13.8%

$100k–$150k 13.5%

$150k–$200k 4.1%

$200k+ 3.8%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	5.8%
$10k–$15k	5.0%
$15k–$25k	7.3%
$25k–$35k	10.5%
$35k–$50k	14.3%
$50k–$75k	21.9%
$75k–$100k	13.8%
$100k–$150k	13.5%
$150k–$200k	4.1%
$200k+	3.8%
Median income	$57,625

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 9.4%

$50k–$100k 16.4%

$100k–$150k 21.9%

$150k–$200k 17.7%

$200k–$300k 20.4%

$300k–$500k 11.3%

$500k–$1M 2.6%

$1M+ 0.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$155,700
Median rent / month	$793
Owner occupied	71.5%
Renter occupied	28.5%
Vacant	7.2%
Single-family detached	75.9%
Large apartment buildings	1.8%
Mobile homes	7.8%
Median rooms	5.5
Avg household size (owned)	2.64

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.4%
2010–2019	7.4%
2000–2009	15.0%
1990–1999	24.8%
1980–1989	16.6%
1970–1979	18.0%
1960–1969	7.5%
1950–1959	4.7%
1940–1949	3.3%
1939 or earlier	2.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.1%
1 bedroom	5.0%
2 bedrooms	22.8%
3 bedrooms	56.0%
4 bedrooms	13.4%
5+ bedrooms	1.7%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	5.5%
1 vehicle	33.2%
2 vehicles	35.0%
3 or more	26.2%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	48.8%
Electricity	47.1%
Propane / LP gas	1.0%
Wood	2.5%
No fuel used	0.4%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	6,822	51.5%
Cohabiting couple	803	6.1%
Male householder, no spouse	2,005	15.1%
Female householder, no spouse	3,621	27.3%
Households with children under 18	4,429	33.4%
Households with seniors (65+)	4,025	30.4%
Average household size	2.58

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	28.0%	21.2%
Married	55.1%	50.0%
Separated	1.5%	2.2%
Widowed	3.0%	11.5%
Divorced	12.4%	15.2%

Education

Less than 9th grade 4.4%

Some HS, no diploma 8.7%

HS graduate 34.4%

Some college, no degree 22.7%

Associate's degree 8.2%

Bachelor's degree 15.6%

Graduate / professional 6.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	86.9%
Bachelor's or higher	21.7%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	461	6.5%
Kindergarten	331	4.7%
Elementary school	3,627	51.3%
High school	1,530	21.6%
College / grad school	1,122	15.9%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 23.3%

Manufacturing 19.9%

Retail trade 10.1%

Professional & management 9.4%

Arts, food & hospitality 8.4%

Other services 7.4%

Construction 6.4%

Transportation & utilities 4.6%

Finance & real estate 4.2%

Wholesale trade 2.4%

Public administration 1.9%

Agriculture & mining 1.2%

Information 0.9%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	30.3%
Service	19.2%
Sales & office	17.6%
Natural resources & construction	10.6%
Production & transportation	22.3%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	84.3%
Government	10.5%
Self-employed	4.7%
Unpaid family workers	0.5%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	87.0%
Carpool	6.2%
Public transit	0.0%
Walk	1.3%
Work from home	4.4%
Other means	1.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	20.9

Poverty

All people 16.5%

Under 18 years 22.5%

18 and over 14.6%

Married-couple families 5.4%

Female-led households 31.1%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	36.4%
Retirement income	22.6%
Supplemental Security	6.9%
Cash public assistance	2.2%
Food stamps / SNAP	12.2%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	35.9%
High blood pressure	37.7%
High cholesterol	37.3%
Diabetes	11.6%
Heart disease	7.5%
Stroke	3.5%
Asthma	10.2%
Arthritis	26.6%
Kidney disease	3.2%
Pulmonary disease	9.2%
Cancer	6.3%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	23.8%
Binge drinking	14.9%
No physical activity	31.3%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	35.1%
Depression	26.1%
Fair or poor health	20.5%
Poor mental health	17.5%
Poor physical health	13.7%
No health insurance	16.4%
Visited doctor (checkup)	76.3%
Visited dentist	51.7%
Cholesterol screening	86.4%
Teeth loss	20.3%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	2,547	9.6%

Disability	%
Any disability	19.0%
Under 18	7.5%
18–64 years	17.3%
65 and over	41.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	54.5%
Public insurance	47.5%
No insurance	10.5%
Uninsured under 19	7.0%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	32,638	93.8%
Spanish	1,292	4.0%
Other Indo-European	1,017	3.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	17	0.1%
Other languages	258	0.8%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	32,643	93.8%
Born in same state	32,402	93.1%
Born in different state	21,358	61.4%
Foreign born	241	0.7%
Naturalized citizen	2,162	6.2%
Not a US citizen	1,128	52.2%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	5,695	16.4%
Italian	4,333	12.4%
French	3,499	10.1%
English	357	1%

Ancestry	Count	%
Polish	157	0.5%
German	142	0.4%
Norwegian	8	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	38.1%
Internet access	92.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 72956

What city is ZIP code 72956 in?

ZIP code 72956 is primarily assigned to Van Buren, Arkansas.

What county is ZIP code 72956 in?

ZIP code 72956 falls within Crawford County, Arkansas.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 72956?

17% of residents in ZIP code 72956 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Does ZIP code 72956 have a large retiree population?

36% of households in ZIP code 72956 receive Social Security income, suggesting a significant retiree or disability population.

Does ZIP code 72956 have a large veteran population?

10% of civilians in ZIP code 72956 are veterans, above the national average of ~7%.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 72956?

The median home value in ZIP code 72956 is $155,700.

What timezone is ZIP code 72956 in?

ZIP code 72956 observes the CST timezone.