ZIP 42038 vs ZIP 42055

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42038 (Eddyville, KY) and ZIP 42055 (Kuttawa, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42038 has a population of 5,298 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 42055 has 2,609 at 22 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 42038 reports a median household income of $65,056 against $63,456 in ZIP 42055, with per-capita income of $33,351 vs $33,122. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.9% in 42038 and 18.3% in 42055. Poverty rate reads 9.6% vs 10.0%, and unemployment 2.0% vs 5.6% — 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 $198,400 in 42038 versus $179,400 in 42055, with median rent of $771 and $684 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.2% vs 83.6%. 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.