ZIP 29138 vs ZIP 29166

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29138 (Saluda, SC) and ZIP 29166 (Ward, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29138 has a population of 10,883 at 19 people per square mile, while ZIP 29166 has 904 at 11 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 29138 reports a median household income of $44,579 against $45,652 in ZIP 29166, with per-capita income of $25,235 vs $30,115. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.6% in 29138 and 17.5% in 29166. Poverty rate reads 23.1% vs 21.9%, and unemployment 2.2% vs 1.6% — 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 $136,100 in 29138 versus $93,700 in 29166, with median rent of $839 and $771 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.5% vs 72.5%. 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.