ZIP 17103 vs ZIP 17104

This side-by-side compares ZIP 17103 (Harrisburg, PA) and ZIP 17104 (Harrisburg, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 17103 has a population of 11,848 at 2,224 people per square mile, while ZIP 17104 has 20,962 at 3,014 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 17103 reports a median household income of $39,825 against $46,510 in ZIP 17104, with per-capita income of $21,527 vs $23,288. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.3% in 17103 and 17.1% in 17104. Poverty rate reads 30.0% vs 29.6%, and unemployment 14.3% vs 15.5% — 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 $137,900 in 17103 versus $104,800 in 17104, with median rent of $917 and $963 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 41.2% vs 45.6%. 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.