ZIP 12302 vs ZIP 12150

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12302 (Schenectady, NY) and ZIP 12150 (Rotterdam Junction, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12302 has a population of 27,582 at 252 people per square mile, while ZIP 12150 has 914 at 324 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 12302 reports a median household income of $98,163 against $79,776 in ZIP 12150, with per-capita income of $49,164 vs $41,463. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 42.0% in 12302 and 9.9% in 12150. Poverty rate reads 4.7% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 4.7% vs 8.4% — 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 $255,700 in 12302 versus $231,600 in 12150, with median rent of $1,247 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.8% vs 98.4%. 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.