ZIP 28574 vs ZIP 28521

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28574 (Richlands, NC) and ZIP 28521 (Chinquapin, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28574 has a population of 15,102 at 46 people per square mile, while ZIP 28521 has 2,287 at 21 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 28574 reports a median household income of $67,416 against $47,813 in ZIP 28521, with per-capita income of $26,253 vs $28,327. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.7% in 28574 and 17.3% in 28521. Poverty rate reads 10.0% vs 7.7%, and unemployment 8.1% vs 2.1% — 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 $216,500 in 28574 versus $128,800 in 28521, with median rent of $1,147 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.7% vs 97.5%. 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.