ZIP 22960 vs ZIP 22727

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22960 (Orange, VA) and ZIP 22727 (Madison, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22960 has a population of 10,722 at 32 people per square mile, while ZIP 22727 has 5,547 at 21 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 22960 reports a median household income of $85,391 against $84,857 in ZIP 22727, with per-capita income of $39,437 vs $39,055. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.0% in 22960 and 28.2% in 22727. Poverty rate reads 8.6% vs 9.3%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 4.9% — 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 $321,200 in 22960 versus $379,900 in 22727, with median rent of $1,081 and $1,192 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.6% vs 72.3%. 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.