ZIP 35905 vs ZIP 36279

This side-by-side compares ZIP 35905 (Gadsden, AL) and ZIP 36279 (Wellington, AL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 35905 has a population of 6,410 at 60 people per square mile, while ZIP 36279 has 2,645 at 34 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 35905 reports a median household income of $67,042 against $53,024 in ZIP 36279, with per-capita income of $32,511 vs $23,741. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.7% in 35905 and 14.8% in 36279. Poverty rate reads 11.3% vs 16.4%, and unemployment 2.5% vs 4.0% — 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 $195,600 in 35905 versus $159,100 in 36279, with median rent of $829 and $955 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.1% vs 86.5%. 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.