ZIP 12169 vs ZIP 12153

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12169 (Stephentown, NY) and ZIP 12153 (Sand Lake, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12169 has a population of 306 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 12153 has 814 at 17 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 12169 reports a median household income of $43,936 against $89,861 in ZIP 12153, with per-capita income of $47,481 vs $57,296. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.8% in 12169 and 23.7% in 12153. Poverty rate reads 0.5% vs 22.1%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 5.0% — 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 $210,000 in 12169 versus $291,700 in 12153, with median rent of $782 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.7% vs 98.1%. 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.