ZIP 26031 vs ZIP 26040

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26031 (Benwood, WV) and ZIP 26040 (Mcmechen, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26031 has a population of 1,755 at 248 people per square mile, while ZIP 26040 has 2,103 at 350 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 26031 reports a median household income of $46,797 against $39,444 in ZIP 26040, with per-capita income of $24,637 vs $24,605. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.3% in 26031 and 12.1% in 26040. Poverty rate reads 25.5% vs 27.5%, and unemployment 2.5% vs 7.7% — 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 $78,300 in 26031 versus $97,400 in 26040, with median rent of $811 and $595 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 61.0% vs 62.7%. 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.