ZIP 03809 vs ZIP 03855

This side-by-side compares ZIP 03809 (Alton, NH) and ZIP 03855 (New Durham, NH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 03809 has a population of 3,716 at 35 people per square mile, while ZIP 03855 has 2,638 at 25 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 03809 reports a median household income of $106,397 against $100,194 in ZIP 03855, with per-capita income of $44,902 vs $47,053. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 30.9% in 03809 and 34.7% in 03855. Poverty rate reads 5.1% vs 5.8%, and unemployment 3.1% vs 9.3% — 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 $387,500 in 03809 versus $339,400 in 03855, with median rent of — and $1,417 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 90.9% vs 94.0%. 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.