ZIP 14048 vs ZIP 14135

This side-by-side compares ZIP 14048 (Dunkirk, NY) and ZIP 14135 (Sheridan, NY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 14048 has a population of 15,072 at 250 people per square mile, while ZIP 14135 has 119 at 45 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 14048 reports a median household income of $56,431 against $80,833 in ZIP 14135, with per-capita income of $30,369 vs $65,173. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.7% in 14048 and 29.1% in 14135. Poverty rate reads 21.7% vs 8.9%, and unemployment 4.1% 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 $104,000 in 14048 versus $191,100 in 14135, with median rent of $869 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 63.1% vs 81.7%. 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.