ZIP 07023 vs ZIP 07076

This side-by-side compares ZIP 07023 (Fanwood, NJ) and ZIP 07076 (Scotch Plains, NJ) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 07023 has a population of 7,318 at 2,109 people per square mile, while ZIP 07076 has 23,480 at 1,007 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 07023 reports a median household income of $195,529 against $183,655 in ZIP 07076, with per-capita income of $72,810 vs $75,070. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 73.0% in 07023 and 64.8% in 07076. Poverty rate reads 1.0% vs 2.5%, and unemployment 2.7% vs 3.2% — 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 $635,200 in 07023 versus $718,200 in 07076, with median rent of $2,446 and $2,060 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.9% vs 79.0%. 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.