ZIP 04256 vs ZIP 04274

This side-by-side compares ZIP 04256 (Mechanic Falls, ME) and ZIP 04274 (Poland, ME) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 04256 has a population of 3,064 at 105 people per square mile, while ZIP 04274 has 5,343 at 49 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 04256 reports a median household income of $69,914 against $85,557 in ZIP 04274, with per-capita income of $28,222 vs $39,454. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.6% in 04256 and 23.8% in 04274. Poverty rate reads 9.2% vs 16.6%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 2.3% — 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 $270,900 in 04256 versus $283,600 in 04274, with median rent of $1,076 and $1,198 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.8% vs 81.9%. 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.