ZIP 29853 vs ZIP 29826

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29853 (Williston, SC) and ZIP 29826 (Elko, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29853 has a population of 6,580 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 29826 has 164 at 19 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 29853 reports a median household income of $44,983 against — in ZIP 29826, with per-capita income of $27,188 vs $17,898. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.2% in 29853 and 3.7% in 29826. Poverty rate reads 24.8% vs 17.4%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 55.6% — 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 $107,100 in 29853 versus $78,600 in 29826, with median rent of $684 and $1,643 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.5% vs 69.2%. 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.