ZIP 16214 vs ZIP 16242

This side-by-side compares ZIP 16214 (Clarion, PA) and ZIP 16242 (New Bethlehem, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 16214 has a population of 10,127 at 80 people per square mile, while ZIP 16242 has 4,693 at 20 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 16214 reports a median household income of $57,521 against $55,677 in ZIP 16242, with per-capita income of $28,959 vs $33,025. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 37.9% in 16214 and 16.8% in 16242. Poverty rate reads 21.7% vs 16.5%, and unemployment 8.7% vs 3.7% — 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 $171,600 in 16214 versus $134,700 in 16242, with median rent of $859 and $693 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 48.9% vs 71.9%. 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.