ZIP 29936 vs ZIP 29927

This side-by-side compares ZIP 29936 (Ridgeland, SC) and ZIP 29927 (Hardeeville, SC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 29936 has a population of 13,354 at 22 people per square mile, while ZIP 29927 has 8,237 at 16 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 29936 reports a median household income of $48,986 against $72,821 in ZIP 29927, with per-capita income of $26,800 vs $37,311. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.8% in 29936 and 30.7% in 29927. Poverty rate reads 20.9% vs 17.1%, and unemployment 6.6% 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 $216,800 in 29936 versus $428,700 in 29927, with median rent of $1,295 and $1,398 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.8% vs 75.6%. 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.