ZIP 26241 vs ZIP 26253

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26241 (Elkins, WV) and ZIP 26253 (Beverly, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26241 has a population of 14,591 at 44 people per square mile, while ZIP 26253 has 3,490 at 20 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 26241 reports a median household income of $50,538 against $65,843 in ZIP 26253, with per-capita income of $31,827 vs $35,244. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.5% in 26241 and 27.4% in 26253. Poverty rate reads 14.2% vs 23.8%, and unemployment 6.4% vs 17.7% — 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 $152,000 in 26241 versus $124,400 in 26253, with median rent of $846 and $688 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.9% vs 75.3%. 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.