ZIP 20612 vs ZIP 20678

This side-by-side compares ZIP 20612 (Benedict, MD) and ZIP 20678 (Prince Frederick, MD) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 20612 has a population of 261 at 432 people per square mile, while ZIP 20678 has 11,045 at 100 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 20612 reports a median household income of $41,118 against $125,732 in ZIP 20678, with per-capita income of $36,867 vs $54,751. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 20612 and 30.3% in 20678. Poverty rate reads 23.0% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 2.5% — 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 20612 versus $455,100 in 20678, with median rent of — and $1,388 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.4% vs 78.4%. 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.