ZIP 17744 vs ZIP 17740

This side-by-side compares ZIP 17744 (Linden, PA) and ZIP 17740 (Jersey Shore, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 17744 has a population of 3,175 at 51 people per square mile, while ZIP 17740 has 12,754 at 36 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 17744 reports a median household income of $72,500 against $70,236 in ZIP 17740, with per-capita income of $33,830 vs $32,160. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.9% in 17744 and 20.7% in 17740. Poverty rate reads 9.7% vs 10.7%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 3.8% — 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 $196,100 in 17744 versus $179,600 in 17740, with median rent of $798 and $863 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.8% vs 81.7%. 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.