ZIP 42054 vs ZIP 42040

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42054 (Kirksey, KY) and ZIP 42040 (Farmington, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42054 has a population of 984 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 42040 has 1,082 at 13 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 42054 reports a median household income of $58,911 against $51,141 in ZIP 42040, with per-capita income of $34,509 vs $38,994. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 29.3% in 42054 and 14.6% in 42040. Poverty rate reads 25.4% vs 18.6%, and unemployment 17.9% vs 1.1% — 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 $160,300 in 42054 versus $123,500 in 42040, with median rent of $1,099 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 60.5% vs 90.6%. 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.