ZIP 31601 vs ZIP 31602

This side-by-side compares ZIP 31601 (Valdosta, GA) and ZIP 31602 (Valdosta, GA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 31601 has a population of 32,730 at 82 people per square mile, while ZIP 31602 has 34,702 at 329 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 31601 reports a median household income of $36,111 against $56,939 in ZIP 31602, with per-capita income of $24,049 vs $29,723. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.1% in 31601 and 32.1% in 31602. Poverty rate reads 27.2% vs 24.1%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 5.6% — 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 $142,200 in 31601 versus $217,300 in 31602, with median rent of $914 and $1,100 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 48.3% vs 43.6%. 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.