ZIP 12009 vs ZIP 12085

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12009 (Altamont, NY) and ZIP 12085 (Guilderland Center, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12009 has a population of 7,164 at 53 people per square mile, while ZIP 12085 has 479 at 1,053 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 12009 reports a median household income of $120,101 against — in ZIP 12085, with per-capita income of $62,021 vs $30,349. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 52.9% in 12009 and 18.2% in 12085. Poverty rate reads 3.8% vs 3.8%, and unemployment 5.0% vs 0.0% — 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 $342,900 in 12009 versus $232,800 in 12085, with median rent of $1,285 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.0% vs 16.5%. 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.