ZIP 06442 vs ZIP 06409

This side-by-side compares ZIP 06442 (Ivoryton, CT) and ZIP 06409 (Centerbrook, CT) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 06442 has a population of 2,745 at 318 people per square mile, while ZIP 06409 has 693 at 198 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 06442 reports a median household income of $104,358 against $107,909 in ZIP 06409, with per-capita income of $60,945 vs $51,560. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 45.4% in 06442 and 46.9% in 06409. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 3.9%, and unemployment 1.8% vs 0.7% — 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 $468,200 in 06442 versus $387,300 in 06409, with median rent of $1,444 and $1,444 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.7% vs 77.3%. 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.