ZIP 16648 vs ZIP 16602

This side-by-side compares ZIP 16648 (Hollidaysburg, PA) and ZIP 16602 (Altoona, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 16648 has a population of 15,538 at 104 people per square mile, while ZIP 16602 has 29,554 at 771 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 16648 reports a median household income of $81,540 against $55,046 in ZIP 16602, with per-capita income of $45,749 vs $33,384. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 37.9% in 16648 and 21.7% in 16602. Poverty rate reads 7.6% vs 14.5%, and unemployment 1.2% vs 6.3% — 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 $219,500 in 16648 versus $125,700 in 16602, with median rent of $1,090 and $869 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.2% vs 67.3%. 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.