ZIP 22849 vs ZIP 22827

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22849 (Shenandoah, VA) and ZIP 22827 (Elkton, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22849 has a population of 5,044 at 41 people per square mile, while ZIP 22827 has 10,388 at 29 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 22849 reports a median household income of $67,261 against $70,519 in ZIP 22827, with per-capita income of $29,495 vs $36,487. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 7.5% in 22849 and 14.2% in 22827. Poverty rate reads 10.4% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 7.1% vs 2.5% — 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 $211,400 in 22849 versus $252,500 in 22827, with median rent of $1,033 and $861 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.5% vs 76.3%. 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.