ZIP 02863 vs ZIP 02860

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02863 (Central Falls, RI) and ZIP 02860 (Pawtucket, RI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02863 has a population of 19,385 at 6,236 people per square mile, while ZIP 02860 has 45,199 at 3,229 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 02863 reports a median household income of $49,285 against $61,539 in ZIP 02860, with per-capita income of $21,117 vs $33,423. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 10.8% in 02863 and 23.1% in 02860. Poverty rate reads 24.6% vs 15.5%, and unemployment 7.9% vs 8.1% — 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 $352,100 in 02863 versus $336,100 in 02860, with median rent of $1,200 and $1,192 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 25.6% vs 40.8%. 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.