ZIP 29053 vs ZIP 29172

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29053 (Gaston, SC) and ZIP 29172 (West Columbia, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29053 has a population of 18,830 at 90 people per square mile, while ZIP 29172 has 9,293 at 143 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 29053 reports a median household income of $56,703 against $64,430 in ZIP 29172, with per-capita income of $25,002 vs $31,949. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.4% in 29053 and 22.5% in 29172. Poverty rate reads 21.4% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 4.9% — 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 $126,300 in 29053 versus $180,800 in 29172, with median rent of $1,000 and $1,048 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.6% vs 81.9%. 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.