ZIP 41501 vs ZIP 41526

This side-by-side compares ZIP 41501 (Pikeville, KY) and ZIP 41526 (Fords Branch, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 41501 has a population of 23,298 at 45 people per square mile, while ZIP 41526 has 125 at 408 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 41501 reports a median household income of $47,349 against — in ZIP 41526, with per-capita income of $30,521 vs —. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.5% in 41501 and — in 41526. Poverty rate reads 26.3% vs —, and unemployment 5.5% vs — — 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 $157,800 in 41501 versus — in 41526, with median rent of $907 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 63.3% vs —. 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.