ZIP 22973 vs ZIP 22723

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22973 (Stanardsville, VA) and ZIP 22723 (Hood, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22973 has a population of 6,191 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 22723 has 128 at 12 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 22973 reports a median household income of $76,964 against — in ZIP 22723, with per-capita income of $38,677 vs $62,842. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.4% in 22973 and 26.9% in 22723. Poverty rate reads 16.7% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 4.6% vs 0.0% — 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 $284,000 in 22973 versus $562,500 in 22723, with median rent of $1,144 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.3% 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.