ZIP 28170 vs ZIP 28135

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28170 (Wadesboro, NC) and ZIP 28135 (Polkton, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28170 has a population of 12,355 at 26 people per square mile, while ZIP 28135 has 6,123 at 24 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 28170 reports a median household income of $39,548 against $66,920 in ZIP 28135, with per-capita income of $24,372 vs $21,462. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.0% in 28170 and 6.9% in 28135. Poverty rate reads 27.3% vs 18.6%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 2.3% — 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 $154,400 in 28170 versus $208,600 in 28135, with median rent of $750 and $1,034 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.8% vs 71.5%. 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.