ZIP 29742 vs ZIP 29717

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29742 (Sharon, SC) and ZIP 29717 (Hickory Grove, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29742 has a population of 2,460 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 29717 has 1,251 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 29742 reports a median household income of $52,775 against $68,235 in ZIP 29717, with per-capita income of $31,102 vs $31,683. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 9.6% in 29742 and 13.1% in 29717. Poverty rate reads 21.4% vs 23.3%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 2.3% — 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 $218,100 in 29742 versus $168,400 in 29717, with median rent of $1,097 and $1,132 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.5% vs 71.2%. 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.