ZIP 26032 vs ZIP 26074

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26032 (Bethany, WV) and ZIP 26074 (West Liberty, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26032 has a population of 1,243 at 40 people per square mile, while ZIP 26074 has 1,184 at 278 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 26032 reports a median household income of $58,750 against $50,000 in ZIP 26074, with per-capita income of $15,220 vs $13,163. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 48.6% in 26032 and 52.6% in 26074. Poverty rate reads 7.1% vs 13.4%, and unemployment 10.1% 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 $116,300 in 26032 versus $164,800 in 26074, with median rent of $670 and $893 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.4% vs 63.7%. 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.