ZIP 22939 vs ZIP 22980

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22939 (Fishersville, VA) and ZIP 22980 (Waynesboro, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22939 has a population of 5,398 at 125 people per square mile, while ZIP 22980 has 31,451 at 163 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 22939 reports a median household income of $84,209 against $63,943 in ZIP 22980, with per-capita income of $41,313 vs $37,085. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 36.2% in 22939 and 26.0% in 22980. Poverty rate reads 15.5% vs 9.2%, and unemployment 3.5% vs 3.7% — 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 $361,500 in 22939 versus $268,100 in 22980, with median rent of $1,572 and $1,010 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.3% vs 68.8%. 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.