ZIP 12996 vs ZIP 12936

This side-by-side compares ZIP 12996 (Willsboro, NY) and ZIP 12936 (Essex, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 12996 has a population of 2,086 at 16 people per square mile, while ZIP 12936 has 599 at 8 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 12996 reports a median household income of $69,766 against $77,321 in ZIP 12936, with per-capita income of $46,814 vs $45,337. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 32.0% in 12996 and 42.0% in 12936. Poverty rate reads 12.1% vs 19.1%, and unemployment 2.0% vs 4.4% — 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 $237,900 in 12996 versus $290,800 in 12936, with median rent of $720 and $910 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.5% vs 80.5%. 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.