ZIP 29717 vs ZIP 29743

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29717 (Hickory Grove, SC) and ZIP 29743 (Smyrna, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29717 has a population of 1,251 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 29743 has 1,071 at 13 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 29717 reports a median household income of $68,235 against $86,064 in ZIP 29743, with per-capita income of $31,683 vs $47,362. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.1% in 29717 and 30.1% in 29743. Poverty rate reads 23.3% vs 4.5%, and unemployment 2.3% vs 0.2% — 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 $168,400 in 29717 versus $242,500 in 29743, with median rent of $1,132 and $862 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.2% vs 93.7%. 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.