ZIP 12304 vs ZIP 12303

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12304 (Schenectady, NY) and ZIP 12303 (Schenectady, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12304 has a population of 21,482 at 1,217 people per square mile, while ZIP 12303 has 29,857 at 749 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 12304 reports a median household income of $69,235 against $84,375 in ZIP 12303, with per-capita income of $36,797 vs $42,628. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.6% in 12304 and 35.8% in 12303. Poverty rate reads 22.1% vs 14.2%, and unemployment 8.6% vs 4.8% — 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 $179,200 in 12304 versus $238,100 in 12303, with median rent of $1,100 and $1,140 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.6% vs 74.1%. 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.