ZIP 12865 vs ZIP 12823

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12865 (Salem, NY) and ZIP 12823 (Cossayuna, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12865 has a population of 3,663 at 20 people per square mile, while ZIP 12823 has 238 at 22 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 12865 reports a median household income of $71,983 against $118,783 in ZIP 12823, with per-capita income of $37,648 vs $48,211. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.5% in 12865 and 76.5% in 12823. Poverty rate reads 17.2% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 9.9% vs 0.0% — 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 $192,900 in 12865 versus $194,800 in 12823, with median rent of $955 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 88.6% vs 94.6%. 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.