ZIP 30286 vs ZIP 31097

This side-by-side compares ZIP 30286 (Thomaston, GA) and ZIP 31097 (Yatesville, GA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 30286 has a population of 23,490 at 47 people per square mile, while ZIP 31097 has 1,302 at 9 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 30286 reports a median household income of $55,087 against $64,214 in ZIP 31097, with per-capita income of $30,426 vs $32,930. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.9% in 30286 and 11.0% in 31097. Poverty rate reads 20.6% vs 5.3%, and unemployment 3.8% vs 1.8% — 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 $168,600 in 30286 versus $168,500 in 31097, with median rent of $849 and $845 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 58.6% vs 80.9%. 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.