ZIP 21601 vs ZIP 21679

This side-by-side compares ZIP 21601 (Easton, MD) and ZIP 21679 (Wye Mills, MD) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 21601 has a population of 23,597 at 83 people per square mile, while ZIP 21679 has 483 at 21 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 21601 reports a median household income of $83,680 against $119,821 in ZIP 21679, with per-capita income of $52,322 vs $74,388. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 40.6% in 21601 and 48.0% in 21679. Poverty rate reads 9.3% vs 6.5%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 10.6% — 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 $376,400 in 21601 versus $521,700 in 21679, with median rent of $1,262 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.2% vs 100.0%. 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.