ZIP 18252 vs ZIP 17982

This side-by-side compares ZIP 18252 (Tamaqua, PA) and ZIP 17982 (Tuscarora, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 18252 has a population of 11,188 at 73 people per square mile, while ZIP 17982 has 430 at 34 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 18252 reports a median household income of $65,257 against $71,071 in ZIP 17982, with per-capita income of $33,741 vs $33,998. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.6% in 18252 and 12.8% in 17982. Poverty rate reads 19.8% vs 16.8%, and unemployment 6.1% 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 $156,300 in 18252 versus $105,500 in 17982, with median rent of $977 and $1,289 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.5% vs 83.0%. 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.