ZIP 42078 vs ZIP 42028

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42078 (Salem, KY) and ZIP 42028 (Burna, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42078 has a population of 1,852 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 42028 has 635 at 9 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 42078 reports a median household income of $56,397 against $51,250 in ZIP 42028, with per-capita income of $29,613 vs $31,810. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.1% in 42078 and 8.5% in 42028. Poverty rate reads 17.6% vs 10.7%, and unemployment 1.7% vs 11.3% — 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 $85,300 in 42078 versus $82,100 in 42028, with median rent of $669 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.5% vs 100.0%. 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.