ZIP 17501 vs ZIP 17508

This side-by-side compares ZIP 17501 (Akron, PA) and ZIP 17508 (Brownstown, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 17501 has a population of 4,307 at 1,195 people per square mile, while ZIP 17508 has 423 at 1,107 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 17501 reports a median household income of $78,182 against $104,597 in ZIP 17508, with per-capita income of $38,585 vs $40,413. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.1% in 17501 and 43.4% in 17508. Poverty rate reads 4.5% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 1.6% vs 5.5% — 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 $258,900 in 17501 versus $347,800 in 17508, with median rent of $1,174 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.5% vs 87.8%. 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.