ZIP 24578 vs ZIP 24555

This side-by-side compares ZIP 24578 (Natural Bridge, VA) and ZIP 24555 (Glasgow, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 24578 has a population of 1,056 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 24555 has 2,140 at 36 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 24578 reports a median household income of $68,355 against $56,080 in ZIP 24555, with per-capita income of $50,223 vs $29,791. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.8% in 24578 and 16.7% in 24555. Poverty rate reads 5.9% vs 17.5%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 3.1% — 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 $223,900 in 24578 versus $185,000 in 24555, with median rent of $789 and $804 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.5% vs 75.7%. 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.