ZIP 26547 vs ZIP 26520

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26547 (Reedsville, WV) and ZIP 26520 (Arthurdale, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26547 has a population of 2,376 at 62 people per square mile, while ZIP 26520 has 778 at 144 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 26547 reports a median household income of $76,084 against — in ZIP 26520, with per-capita income of $32,528 vs $55,815. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.2% in 26547 and 25.0% in 26520. Poverty rate reads 8.8% vs 2.3%, and unemployment 11.6% 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 $204,000 in 26547 versus $198,400 in 26520, with median rent of $839 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.6% vs 100.0%. 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.