ZIP 24701 vs ZIP 24737

This side-by-side compares ZIP 24701 (Bluefield, WV) and ZIP 24737 (Montcalm, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 24701 has a population of 20,786 at 125 people per square mile, while ZIP 24737 has 243 at 898 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 24701 reports a median household income of $50,455 against $31,330 in ZIP 24737, with per-capita income of $28,853 vs $20,828. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.8% in 24701 and 16.0% in 24737. Poverty rate reads 17.0% vs 29.7%, and unemployment 5.0% 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 $105,000 in 24701 versus $129,200 in 24737, with median rent of $811 and $510 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.5% vs 59.7%. 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.