ZIP 24954 vs ZIP 24946

This side-by-side compares ZIP 24954 (Marlinton, WV) and ZIP 24946 (Hillsboro, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 24954 has a population of 3,514 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 24946 has 1,533 at 3 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 24954 reports a median household income of $37,899 against $60,625 in ZIP 24946, with per-capita income of $24,422 vs $24,339. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.7% in 24954 and 33.1% in 24946. Poverty rate reads 26.7% vs 15.3%, and unemployment 14.6% vs 5.2% — 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 $144,000 in 24954 versus $227,000 in 24946, with median rent of $717 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 78.1% vs 88.9%. 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.