ZIP 17265 vs ZIP 17221

This side-by-side compares ZIP 17265 (Upperstrasburg, PA) and ZIP 17221 (Fannettsburg, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 17265 has a population of 496 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 17221 has 637 at 24 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 17265 reports a median household income of $44,844 against $62,109 in ZIP 17221, with per-capita income of $27,365 vs $51,072. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 9.7% in 17265 and 12.6% in 17221. Poverty rate reads 2.0% vs 3.5%, and unemployment 11.1% vs 0.0% — 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 $204,200 in 17265 versus $203,200 in 17221, with median rent of $660 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.7% vs 93.4%. 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.