ZIP 25427 vs ZIP 25403

This side-by-side compares ZIP 25427 (Hedgesville, WV) and ZIP 25403 (Martinsburg, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 25427 has a population of 14,322 at 41 people per square mile, while ZIP 25403 has 12,591 at 130 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 25427 reports a median household income of $87,184 against $87,512 in ZIP 25403, with per-capita income of $40,667 vs $43,262. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.0% in 25427 and 32.1% in 25403. Poverty rate reads 7.3% vs 9.7%, and unemployment 4.7% vs 4.7% — 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 $291,100 in 25427 versus $298,500 in 25403, with median rent of $1,184 and $1,087 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 88.4% vs 81.4%. 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.