ZIP 35550 vs ZIP 35148

This side-by-side compares ZIP 35550 (Cordova, AL) and ZIP 35148 (Sumiton, AL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 35550 has a population of 5,605 at 33 people per square mile, while ZIP 35148 has 2,702 at 169 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 35550 reports a median household income of $42,216 against $56,574 in ZIP 35148, with per-capita income of $24,458 vs $29,020. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 7.9% in 35550 and 10.8% in 35148. Poverty rate reads 31.5% vs 19.0%, and unemployment 8.6% vs 2.0% — 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 $91,900 in 35550 versus $162,700 in 35148, with median rent of $710 and $850 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.4% vs 68.1%. 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.