ZIP 26601 vs ZIP 26629

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26601 (Sutton, WV) and ZIP 26629 (Little Birch, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26601 has a population of 4,898 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 26629 has 309 at 17 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 26601 reports a median household income of $50,469 against — in ZIP 26629, with per-capita income of $26,774 vs $16,275. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.2% in 26601 and 0.0% in 26629. Poverty rate reads 14.1% vs 38.1%, and unemployment 11.2% vs 14.5% — 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 $116,600 in 26601 versus $114,600 in 26629, with median rent of $549 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.5% vs 60.5%. 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.