ZIP 40831 vs ZIP 40823

This side-by-side compares ZIP 40831 (Harlan, KY) and ZIP 40823 (Cumberland, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 40831 has a population of 5,150 at 39 people per square mile, while ZIP 40823 has 4,231 at 28 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 40831 reports a median household income of $35,404 against $35,402 in ZIP 40823, with per-capita income of $23,292 vs $19,260. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.2% in 40831 and 15.7% in 40823. Poverty rate reads 26.1% vs 42.0%, and unemployment 8.7% vs 15.2% — 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 $89,100 in 40831 versus $70,500 in 40823, with median rent of $620 and $633 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 56.7% vs 55.9%. 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.