ZIP 03215 vs ZIP 03259

This side-by-side compares ZIP 03215 (Waterville Valley, NH) and ZIP 03259 (North Sandwich, NH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 03215 has a population of 247 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 03259 has 368 at 6 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 03215 reports a median household income of $105,625 against $84,872 in ZIP 03259, with per-capita income of $69,044 vs $87,307. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 71.6% in 03215 and 64.6% in 03259. Poverty rate reads 6.9% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 0.0% 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 $562,500 in 03215 versus $396,500 in 03259, with median rent of $1,150 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.5% vs 100.0%. 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.