ZIP 38774 vs ZIP 38781

This side-by-side compares ZIP 38774 (Shelby, MS) and ZIP 38781 (Winstonville, MS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 38774 has a population of 2,522 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 38781 has 252 at 98 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 38774 reports a median household income of $19,811 against $2,499 in ZIP 38781, with per-capita income of $11,363 vs $9,329. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.7% in 38774 and 13.8% in 38781. Poverty rate reads 57.0% vs 69.3%, and unemployment 18.9% vs 0.0% — 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 $90,400 in 38774 versus $162,500 in 38781, with median rent of $690 and $375 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 62.9% vs 35.5%. 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.