ZIP 39054 vs ZIP 39159

This side-by-side compares ZIP 39054 (Cary, MS) and ZIP 39159 (Rolling Fork, MS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 39054 has a population of 341 at 33 people per square mile, while ZIP 39159 has 3,334 at 4 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 39054 reports a median household income of — against $45,995 in ZIP 39159, with per-capita income of $19,263 vs $21,373. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.2% in 39054 and 12.4% in 39159. Poverty rate reads 38.9% vs 24.5%, and unemployment 0.9% vs 6.2% — 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 $51,400 in 39054 versus $110,700 in 39159, with median rent of — and $564 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.6% vs 65.3%. 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.