ZIP 35045 vs ZIP 35171

This side-by-side compares ZIP 35045 (Clanton, AL) and ZIP 35171 (Thorsby, AL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 35045 has a population of 14,870 at 48 people per square mile, while ZIP 35171 has 3,281 at 43 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 35045 reports a median household income of $65,907 against $71,875 in ZIP 35171, with per-capita income of $33,150 vs $34,468. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.7% in 35045 and 15.4% in 35171. Poverty rate reads 14.0% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 6.0% vs 2.9% — 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 $181,500 in 35045 versus $181,900 in 35171, with median rent of $883 and $901 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.7% vs 75.7%. 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.