ZIP 18643 vs ZIP 18653

This side-by-side compares ZIP 18643 (Pittston, PA) and ZIP 18653 (Ransom, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 18643 has a population of 12,908 at 262 people per square mile, while ZIP 18653 has 132 at 206 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 18643 reports a median household income of $63,125 against — in ZIP 18653, with per-capita income of $40,103 vs —. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.5% in 18643 and — in 18653. Poverty rate reads 11.1% vs —, and unemployment 5.2% vs — — 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 $174,500 in 18643 versus — in 18653, with median rent of $981 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.9% vs —. 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.