ZIP 38455 vs ZIP 38449

This side-by-side compares ZIP 38455 (Elkton, TN) and ZIP 38449 (Ardmore, TN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 38455 has a population of 227 at 164 people per square mile, while ZIP 38449 has 2,811 at 19 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 38455 reports a median household income of $158,125 against $62,083 in ZIP 38449, with per-capita income of $40,813 vs $39,581. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 7.8% in 38455 and 24.4% in 38449. Poverty rate reads 25.2% vs 14.9%, and unemployment 20.6% vs 7.8% — 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 $213,900 in 38455 versus $263,500 in 38449, with median rent of — and $891 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.7% vs 78.4%. 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.