ZIP 38125 vs ZIP 38138

This side-by-side compares ZIP 38125 (Memphis, TN) and ZIP 38138 (Germantown, TN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 38125 has a population of 36,150 at 732 people per square mile, while ZIP 38138 has 24,045 at 783 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 38125 reports a median household income of $86,162 against $136,297 in ZIP 38138, with per-capita income of $39,115 vs $70,818. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 34.0% in 38125 and 69.1% in 38138. Poverty rate reads 10.7% vs 3.6%, and unemployment 9.9% vs 3.9% — 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 $251,100 in 38125 versus $430,200 in 38138, with median rent of $1,581 and $1,726 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 53.5% vs 79.8%. 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.