ZIP 15478 vs ZIP 15451

This side-by-side compares ZIP 15478 (Smithfield, PA) and ZIP 15451 (Lake Lynn, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 15478 has a population of 6,446 at 40 people per square mile, while ZIP 15451 has 955 at 36 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 15478 reports a median household income of $67,449 against $34,861 in ZIP 15451, with per-capita income of $38,821 vs $20,909. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.4% in 15478 and 6.4% in 15451. Poverty rate reads 10.6% vs 56.0%, and unemployment 6.2% vs 8.8% — 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 $169,200 in 15478 versus $66,400 in 15451, with median rent of $849 and $903 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.7% vs 75.4%. 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.