ZIP 38362 vs ZIP 38305

This side-by-side compares ZIP 38362 (Oakfield, TN) and ZIP 38305 (Jackson, TN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 38362 has a population of 1,145 at 53 people per square mile, while ZIP 38305 has 49,808 at 149 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 38362 reports a median household income of $60,714 against $68,977 in ZIP 38305, with per-capita income of $31,852 vs $37,506. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.1% in 38362 and 33.8% in 38305. Poverty rate reads 18.7% vs 13.7%, and unemployment 7.9% vs 5.6% — 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 $164,700 in 38362 versus $243,800 in 38305, with median rent of $1,029 and $1,249 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.8% vs 63.3%. 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.