ZIP 42025 vs ZIP 42044

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42025 (Benton, KY) and ZIP 42044 (Gilbertsville, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42025 has a population of 19,305 at 38 people per square mile, while ZIP 42044 has 3,404 at 55 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 42025 reports a median household income of $70,067 against $57,333 in ZIP 42044, with per-capita income of $33,523 vs $37,817. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.6% in 42025 and 20.1% in 42044. Poverty rate reads 11.3% vs 14.1%, and unemployment 5.2% vs 3.9% — 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 $172,100 in 42025 versus $271,400 in 42044, with median rent of $784 and $597 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.6% vs 92.0%. 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.