ZIP 29696 vs ZIP 29691

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