ZIP 26040 vs ZIP 26031

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