ZIP 06278 vs ZIP 06242

This side-by-side compares ZIP 06278 (Ashford, CT) and ZIP 06242 (Eastford, CT) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 06278 has a population of 4,454 at 43 people per square mile, while ZIP 06242 has 1,408 at 21 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 06278 reports a median household income of $121,875 against $89,250 in ZIP 06242, with per-capita income of $60,157 vs $50,268. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 35.6% in 06278 and 36.7% in 06242. Poverty rate reads 5.2% vs 8.7%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 6.1% — 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 $335,500 in 06278 versus $353,100 in 06242, with median rent of $1,246 and $1,063 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.3% vs 85.1%. 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.