ZIP 25843 vs ZIP 25825

This side-by-side compares ZIP 25843 (Ghent, WV) and ZIP 25825 (Cool Ridge, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 25843 has a population of 791 at 22 people per square mile, while ZIP 25825 has 2,390 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 25843 reports a median household income of $86,767 against $57,795 in ZIP 25825, with per-capita income of $41,315 vs $21,774. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.3% in 25843 and 22.3% in 25825. Poverty rate reads 13.5% vs 14.0%, and unemployment 0.0% 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 — in 25843 versus $138,400 in 25825, with median rent of $961 and $720 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.3% vs 89.9%. 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.