ZIP 35461 vs ZIP 39702

This side-by-side compares ZIP 35461 (Ethelsville, AL) and ZIP 39702 (Columbus, MS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 35461 has a population of 1,952 at 6 people per square mile, while ZIP 39702 has 22,883 at 88 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 35461 reports a median household income of $47,375 against $54,650 in ZIP 39702, with per-capita income of $33,853 vs $27,615. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.7% in 35461 and 23.5% in 39702. Poverty rate reads 10.9% vs 15.6%, and unemployment 8.9% vs 7.4% — 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 $174,400 in 35461 versus $144,100 in 39702, with median rent of — and $944 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.5% vs 65.4%. 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.