ZIP 24450 vs ZIP 24578

This side-by-side compares ZIP 24450 (Lexington, VA) and ZIP 24578 (Natural Bridge, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 24450 has a population of 16,741 at 31 people per square mile, while ZIP 24578 has 1,056 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 24450 reports a median household income of $76,587 against $68,355 in ZIP 24578, with per-capita income of $38,542 vs $50,223. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 44.5% in 24450 and 25.8% in 24578. Poverty rate reads 6.9% vs 5.9%, and unemployment 1.8% vs 7.2% — 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 $305,100 in 24450 versus $223,900 in 24578, with median rent of $1,060 and $789 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.3% vs 81.5%. 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.