ZIP 29691 vs ZIP 29696

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29691 (Walhalla, SC) and ZIP 29696 (West Union, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29691 has a population of 11,333 at 64 people per square mile, while ZIP 29696 has 4,125 at 68 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 29691 reports a median household income of $49,639 against $78,468 in ZIP 29696, with per-capita income of $29,492 vs $38,889. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.1% in 29691 and 27.8% in 29696. Poverty rate reads 26.7% vs 14.8%, and unemployment 7.0% vs 5.8% — 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 $190,600 in 29691 versus $219,100 in 29696, with median rent of $820 and $866 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.1% vs 83.4%. 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.