ZIP 26241 vs ZIP 26276

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26241 (Elkins, WV) and ZIP 26276 (Kerens, 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 26276 has 356 at 9 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 $63,257 in ZIP 26276, with per-capita income of $31,827 vs $24,292. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.5% in 26241 and 7.8% in 26276. Poverty rate reads 14.2% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 6.4% vs 0.0% — 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 $152,000 in 26241 versus $156,300 in 26276, with median rent of $846 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.9% vs 96.8%. 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.