ZIP 21555 vs ZIP 25431

This side-by-side compares ZIP 21555 (Oldtown, MD) and ZIP 25431 (Levels, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 21555 has a population of 1,936 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 25431 has 453 at 12 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 21555 reports a median household income of $53,266 against $68,917 in ZIP 25431, with per-capita income of $24,708 vs $19,335. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.9% in 21555 and 2.1% in 25431. Poverty rate reads 22.1% vs 4.7%, and unemployment 7.6% vs 0.0% — 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 $197,700 in 21555 versus $119,500 in 25431, with median rent of $790 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.4% vs 81.7%. 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.