ZIP 12056 vs ZIP 12306

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12056 (Duanesburg, NY) and ZIP 12306 (Schenectady, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12056 has a population of 2,310 at 50 people per square mile, while ZIP 12306 has 25,636 at 230 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 12056 reports a median household income of $132,150 against $83,202 in ZIP 12306, with per-capita income of $67,646 vs $41,975. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 37.8% in 12056 and 29.8% in 12306. Poverty rate reads 5.4% vs 8.6%, and unemployment 5.2% vs 4.5% — 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 $374,500 in 12056 versus $222,500 in 12306, with median rent of $1,332 and $1,228 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.4% vs 68.6%. 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.