ZIP 18846 vs ZIP 18853

This side-by-side compares ZIP 18846 (Sugar Run, PA) and ZIP 18853 (Wyalusing, PA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 18846 has a population of 847 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 18853 has 4,252 at 16 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 18846 reports a median household income of $86,042 against $67,250 in ZIP 18853, with per-capita income of $43,605 vs $40,790. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.8% in 18846 and 19.1% in 18853. Poverty rate reads 8.1% vs 12.0%, and unemployment 8.8% 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 $270,500 in 18846 versus $225,200 in 18853, with median rent of $1,261 and $876 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.3% vs 75.5%. 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.