ZIP 25971 vs ZIP 24712

This side-by-side compares ZIP 25971 (Lerona, WV) and ZIP 24712 (Athens, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 25971 has a population of 1,130 at 22 people per square mile, while ZIP 24712 has 2,063 at 90 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 25971 reports a median household income of $74,439 against $80,625 in ZIP 24712, with per-capita income of $35,986 vs $21,037. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.5% in 25971 and 37.5% in 24712. Poverty rate reads 13.4% vs 10.6%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 2.9% — 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 $150,000 in 25971 versus $213,800 in 24712, with median rent of — and $975 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 87.5%. 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.