ZIP 26050 vs ZIP 43961

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26050 (Newell, WV) and ZIP 43961 (Stratton, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26050 has a population of 1,575 at 210 people per square mile, while ZIP 43961 has 294 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 26050 reports a median household income of $50,139 against $39,500 in ZIP 43961, with per-capita income of $23,149 vs $29,283. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.0% in 26050 and 13.2% in 43961. Poverty rate reads 29.7% vs 24.4%, and unemployment 18.2% vs 10.7% — 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 $83,900 in 26050 versus $60,700 in 43961, with median rent of $915 and $725 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.9% vs 80.7%. 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.