ZIP 35981 vs ZIP 35966

This side-by-side compares ZIP 35981 (Ider, AL) and ZIP 35966 (Flat Rock, AL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 35981 has a population of 2,141 at 36 people per square mile, while ZIP 35966 has 3,914 at 18 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 35981 reports a median household income of $45,556 against $43,883 in ZIP 35966, with per-capita income of $22,182 vs $24,314. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.9% in 35981 and 10.1% in 35966. Poverty rate reads 11.5% vs 20.0%, and unemployment 15.1% vs 5.9% — 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 $152,200 in 35981 versus $149,700 in 35966, with median rent of $1,003 and $782 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.3% vs 76.2%. 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.