ZIP 42048 vs ZIP 42036

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42048 (Hardin, KY) and ZIP 42036 (Dexter, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42048 has a population of 2,147 at 32 people per square mile, while ZIP 42036 has 1,167 at 17 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 42048 reports a median household income of $55,714 against $97,904 in ZIP 42036, with per-capita income of $25,203 vs $40,308. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.1% in 42048 and 5.4% in 42036. Poverty rate reads 26.9% vs 5.9%, and unemployment 0.9% vs 1.5% — 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 $138,800 in 42048 versus $119,500 in 42036, with median rent of $803 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.3% vs 96.1%. 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.