ZIP 42081 vs ZIP 42028

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42081 (Smithland, 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 42081 has a population of 2,203 at 7 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 42081 reports a median household income of $92,868 against $51,250 in ZIP 42028, with per-capita income of $36,307 vs $31,810. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.8% in 42081 and 8.5% in 42028. Poverty rate reads 10.1% vs 10.7%, and unemployment 1.1% 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 $167,300 in 42081 versus $82,100 in 42028, with median rent of $850 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.0% 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.