ZIP 02858 vs ZIP 02830

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02858 (Oakland, RI) and ZIP 02830 (Harrisville, RI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02858 has a population of 570 at 381 people per square mile, while ZIP 02830 has 5,976 at 120 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 02858 reports a median household income of $128,568 against $121,111 in ZIP 02830, with per-capita income of $34,154 vs $48,557. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.0% in 02858 and 27.0% in 02830. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 5.3%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 4.5% — 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 $351,500 in 02858 versus $408,700 in 02830, with median rent of — and $1,096 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 46.2% vs 82.7%. 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.