ZIP 21840 vs ZIP 21814

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