ZIP 26202 vs ZIP 26261

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26202 (Fenwick, WV) and ZIP 26261 (Richwood, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26202 has a population of 641 at 18 people per square mile, while ZIP 26261 has 2,701 at 11 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 26202 reports a median household income of $75,801 against $33,750 in ZIP 26261, with per-capita income of $35,195 vs $33,049. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.4% in 26202 and 15.6% in 26261. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 24.0%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 13.0% — 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 $103,800 in 26202 versus $74,700 in 26261, with median rent of — and $677 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 84.6%. 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.