ZIP 23237 vs ZIP 23831

This side-by-side compares ZIP 23237 (Richmond, VA) and ZIP 23831 (Chester, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 23237 has a population of 21,192 at 400 people per square mile, while ZIP 23831 has 33,079 at 530 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 23237 reports a median household income of $79,606 against $95,750 in ZIP 23831, with per-capita income of $33,374 vs $43,948. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.0% in 23237 and 36.9% in 23831. Poverty rate reads 10.4% vs 6.5%, and unemployment 3.5% vs 3.5% — 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 $277,100 in 23237 versus $336,700 in 23831, with median rent of $1,295 and $1,645 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.3% vs 72.1%. 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.