ZIP 12190 vs ZIP 12164

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12190 (Wells, NY) and ZIP 12164 (Speculator, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12190 has a population of 674 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 12164 has 365 at 3 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 12190 reports a median household income of $74,286 against $62,083 in ZIP 12164, with per-capita income of $38,592 vs $40,262. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.6% in 12190 and 44.4% in 12164. Poverty rate reads 4.6% vs 24.5%, and unemployment 7.9% vs 4.9% — 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 $268,600 in 12190 versus $226,800 in 12164, with median rent of — and $1,042 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.7% vs 74.0%. 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.