ZIP 32177 vs ZIP 32131

This side-by-side compares ZIP 32177 (Palatka, FL) and ZIP 32131 (East Palatka, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 32177 has a population of 27,132 at 44 people per square mile, while ZIP 32131 has 4,701 at 54 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 32177 reports a median household income of $47,796 against $69,416 in ZIP 32131, with per-capita income of $27,569 vs $35,731. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.7% in 32177 and 15.6% in 32131. Poverty rate reads 23.4% vs 15.9%, and unemployment 8.0% vs 5.2% — 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 $165,500 in 32177 versus $233,100 in 32131, with median rent of $951 and $1,094 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.1% vs 76.5%. 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.