ZIP 26143 vs ZIP 26160

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26143 (Elizabeth, WV) and ZIP 26160 (Palestine, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26143 has a population of 4,547 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 26160 has 960 at 6 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 26143 reports a median household income of $55,402 against $48,992 in ZIP 26160, with per-capita income of $28,924 vs $23,291. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.1% in 26143 and 20.0% in 26160. Poverty rate reads 14.9% vs 23.0%, and unemployment 5.2% vs 8.8% — 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 $95,100 in 26143 versus $181,100 in 26160, with median rent of $573 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.2% vs 98.7%. 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.