ZIP 17257 vs ZIP 17266

This side-by-side compares ZIP 17257 (Shippensburg, PA) and ZIP 17266 (Walnut Bottom, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 17257 has a population of 27,996 at 92 people per square mile, while ZIP 17266 has 581 at 167 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 17257 reports a median household income of $71,181 against $66,667 in ZIP 17266, with per-capita income of $35,673 vs $31,321. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.3% in 17257 and 20.6% in 17266. Poverty rate reads 10.7% vs 5.6%, and unemployment 4.7% vs 3.0% — 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 $227,900 in 17257 versus $214,400 in 17266, with median rent of $1,046 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.5% vs 68.0%. 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.