ZIP 18653 vs ZIP 18643

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