ZIP 02864 vs ZIP 02802

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02864 (Cumberland, RI) and ZIP 02802 (Albion, RI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02864 has a population of 33,396 at 488 people per square mile, while ZIP 02802 has 786 at 1,552 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 02864 reports a median household income of $117,522 against $116,159 in ZIP 02802, with per-capita income of $52,577 vs $57,877. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 44.8% in 02864 and 29.6% in 02802. Poverty rate reads 3.9% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 0.0% — 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 $431,000 in 02864 versus $362,700 in 02802, with median rent of $1,379 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.3% vs 83.1%. 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.