ZIP 21814 vs ZIP 21840

This side-by-side compares ZIP 21814 (Bivalve, MD) and ZIP 21840 (Nanticoke, MD) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 21814 has a population of 380 at 40 people per square mile, while ZIP 21840 has 375 at 28 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 21814 reports a median household income of — against — in ZIP 21840, with per-capita income of $31,749 vs $64,382. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 21814 and 17.6% in 21840. Poverty rate reads 20.7% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 20.2% vs 19.8% — 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 — in 21814 versus $9,999 in 21840, with median rent of — and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 68.2%. 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.