ZIP 16223 vs ZIP 16242

This side-by-side compares ZIP 16223 (Distant, 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 16223 has a population of 154 at 55 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 16223 reports a median household income of $60,521 against $55,677 in ZIP 16242, with per-capita income of $40,583 vs $33,025. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 16223 and 16.8% in 16242. Poverty rate reads 7.7% vs 16.5%, and unemployment 0.0% 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 $83,800 in 16223 versus $134,700 in 16242, with median rent of — and $693 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.7% 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.