ZIP 21012 vs ZIP 21405

This side-by-side compares ZIP 21012 (Arnold, MD) and ZIP 21405 (Annapolis, MD) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 21012 has a population of 21,317 at 843 people per square mile, while ZIP 21405 has 544 at 205 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 21012 reports a median household income of $139,432 against $160,703 in ZIP 21405, with per-capita income of $63,734 vs $79,136. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 57.5% in 21012 and 74.9% in 21405. Poverty rate reads 3.3% vs 12.1%, and unemployment 2.6% vs 4.1% — 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 $563,800 in 21012 versus $986,100 in 21405, with median rent of $2,166 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.3% vs 95.0%. 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.