ZIP 40118 vs ZIP 40109

This side-by-side compares ZIP 40118 (Fairdale, KY) and ZIP 40109 (Brooks, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 40118 has a population of 9,724 at 274 people per square mile, while ZIP 40109 has 1,990 at 82 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 40118 reports a median household income of $59,316 against $75,495 in ZIP 40109, with per-capita income of $28,132 vs $41,469. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.9% in 40118 and 14.5% in 40109. Poverty rate reads 21.6% vs 3.8%, and unemployment 4.9% 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 $156,800 in 40118 versus $262,400 in 40109, with median rent of $1,124 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.5% vs 98.0%. 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.