ZIP 29697 vs ZIP 29669

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29697 (Williamston, SC) and ZIP 29669 (Pelzer, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29697 has a population of 12,207 at 123 people per square mile, while ZIP 29669 has 12,387 at 76 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 29697 reports a median household income of $68,764 against $65,903 in ZIP 29669, with per-capita income of $34,460 vs $30,186. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.3% in 29697 and 22.4% in 29669. Poverty rate reads 11.7% vs 14.1%, and unemployment 3.9% vs 6.1% — 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 $206,000 in 29697 versus $199,700 in 29669, with median rent of $1,022 and $813 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.8% 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.