ZIP 16137 vs ZIP 16124

This side-by-side compares ZIP 16137 (Mercer, PA) and ZIP 16124 (Fredonia, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 16137 has a population of 12,941 at 46 people per square mile, while ZIP 16124 has 2,228 at 31 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 16137 reports a median household income of $71,250 against $55,455 in ZIP 16124, with per-capita income of $32,601 vs $28,102. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.5% in 16137 and 17.3% in 16124. Poverty rate reads 12.7% vs 22.1%, and unemployment 5.3% vs 5.3% — 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 $187,000 in 16137 versus $171,500 in 16124, with median rent of $680 and $790 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.3% vs 82.6%. 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.