ZIP 21613 vs ZIP 21643

This side-by-side compares ZIP 21613 (Cambridge, MD) and ZIP 21643 (Hurlock, MD) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 21613 has a population of 17,330 at 43 people per square mile, while ZIP 21643 has 5,979 at 49 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 21613 reports a median household income of $53,890 against $67,219 in ZIP 21643, with per-capita income of $35,645 vs $28,875. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.7% in 21613 and 14.0% in 21643. Poverty rate reads 22.0% vs 14.7%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 2.8% — 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 $283,900 in 21613 versus $230,000 in 21643, with median rent of $1,042 and $909 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 51.6% vs 81.4%. 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.