ZIP 05862 vs ZIP 05046

This side-by-side compares ZIP 05862 (Peacham, VT) and ZIP 05046 (Groton, VT) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 05862 has a population of 356 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 05046 has 1,139 at 7 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 05862 reports a median household income of $122,917 against $84,375 in ZIP 05046, with per-capita income of $68,295 vs $39,722. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.2% in 05862 and 39.0% in 05046. Poverty rate reads 10.8% vs 7.8%, and unemployment 5.9% vs 3.8% — 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 $334,200 in 05862 versus $259,000 in 05046, with median rent of $829 and $1,000 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.9% vs 89.5%. 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.