ZIP 26104 vs ZIP 26142

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26104 (Parkersburg, WV) and ZIP 26142 (Davisville, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26104 has a population of 16,769 at 174 people per square mile, while ZIP 26142 has 2,574 at 78 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 26104 reports a median household income of $54,331 against $62,941 in ZIP 26142, with per-capita income of $35,752 vs $28,278. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.0% in 26104 and 16.3% in 26142. Poverty rate reads 15.3% vs 11.8%, and unemployment 4.2% vs 8.4% — 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 $170,800 in 26104 versus $113,200 in 26142, with median rent of $828 and $1,036 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.6% vs 92.7%. 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.