ZIP 29223 vs ZIP 29229

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29223 (Columbia, SC) and ZIP 29229 (Columbia, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29223 has a population of 50,141 at 759 people per square mile, while ZIP 29229 has 44,229 at 831 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 29223 reports a median household income of $62,408 against $74,043 in ZIP 29229, with per-capita income of $35,907 vs $36,844. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 34.0% in 29223 and 43.9% in 29229. Poverty rate reads 15.9% vs 12.9%, and unemployment 5.5% vs 6.4% — 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 $202,900 in 29223 versus $247,400 in 29229, with median rent of $1,277 and $1,640 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 57.6% vs 70.1%. 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.