ZIP 01566 vs ZIP 01518

This side-by-side compares ZIP 01566 (Sturbridge, MA) and ZIP 01518 (Fiskdale, MA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 01566 has a population of 6,294 at 86 people per square mile, while ZIP 01518 has 2,974 at 129 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 01566 reports a median household income of $137,730 against $136,111 in ZIP 01518, with per-capita income of $59,068 vs $67,700. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.6% in 01566 and 54.3% in 01518. Poverty rate reads 2.6% vs 6.7%, and unemployment 2.2% vs 6.7% — 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 $415,900 in 01566 versus $452,900 in 01518, with median rent of $1,914 and $767 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.3% vs 72.1%. 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.