ZIP 34222 vs ZIP 34208

This side-by-side compares ZIP 34222 (Ellenton, FL) and ZIP 34208 (Bradenton, FL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 34222 has a population of 11,952 at 878 people per square mile, while ZIP 34208 has 33,121 at 789 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 34222 reports a median household income of $64,355 against $60,504 in ZIP 34208, with per-capita income of $36,803 vs $30,834. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.2% in 34222 and 22.3% in 34208. Poverty rate reads 8.3% vs 16.2%, and unemployment 2.8% vs 6.0% — 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 $202,400 in 34222 versus $318,800 in 34208, with median rent of $1,624 and $1,456 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 78.1% vs 56.5%. 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.