ZIP 37166 vs ZIP 37012

This side-by-side compares ZIP 37166 (Smithville, TN) and ZIP 37012 (Alexandria, TN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 37166 has a population of 13,446 at 34 people per square mile, while ZIP 37012 has 2,292 at 25 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 37166 reports a median household income of $52,797 against $49,265 in ZIP 37012, with per-capita income of $26,766 vs $26,310. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.1% in 37166 and 11.3% in 37012. Poverty rate reads 18.7% vs 18.2%, and unemployment 4.6% vs 8.4% — 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 $224,300 in 37166 versus $237,600 in 37012, with median rent of $813 and $749 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.8% vs 66.8%. 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.