ZIP 22202 vs ZIP 22305

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22202 (Arlington, VA) and ZIP 22305 (Alexandria, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22202 has a population of 22,543 at 2,250 people per square mile, while ZIP 22305 has 15,440 at 4,420 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 22202 reports a median household income of $133,762 against $113,537 in ZIP 22305, with per-capita income of $99,342 vs $70,089. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 84.9% in 22202 and 58.9% in 22305. Poverty rate reads 8.5% vs 10.1%, and unemployment 2.1% vs 3.3% — 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 $899,000 in 22202 versus $864,500 in 22305, with median rent of $2,484 and $1,902 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 21.0% vs 34.6%. 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.