ZIP 26716 vs ZIP 26292

This side-by-side compares ZIP 26716 (Eglon, WV) and ZIP 26292 (Thomas, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 26716 has a population of 706 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 26292 has 836 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 26716 reports a median household income of $80,375 against $53,250 in ZIP 26292, with per-capita income of $31,695 vs $26,491. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.0% in 26716 and 19.8% in 26292. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 24.5%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 18.7% — 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 $144,300 in 26716 versus $151,700 in 26292, with median rent of $924 and $792 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.8% vs 66.1%. 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.