ZIP 15442 vs ZIP 15438

This side-by-side compares ZIP 15442 (Grindstone, PA) and ZIP 15438 (Fayette City, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 15442 has a population of 2,105 at 54 people per square mile, while ZIP 15438 has 2,221 at 75 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 15442 reports a median household income of $57,246 against $53,917 in ZIP 15438, with per-capita income of $30,962 vs $35,306. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.3% in 15442 and 31.2% in 15438. Poverty rate reads 10.1% vs 16.1%, and unemployment 8.5% vs 10.0% — 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 $93,200 in 15442 versus $145,500 in 15438, with median rent of $1,047 and $727 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.5% vs 83.3%. 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.