ZIP 42087 vs ZIP 42023

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42087 (Wickliffe, KY) and ZIP 42023 (Bardwell, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42087 has a population of 2,419 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 42023 has 2,422 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 42087 reports a median household income of $58,802 against $63,229 in ZIP 42023, with per-capita income of $32,080 vs $31,796. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.9% in 42087 and 15.8% in 42023. Poverty rate reads 25.7% vs 17.9%, and unemployment 2.1% vs 4.0% — 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 $143,500 in 42087 versus $118,100 in 42023, with median rent of $729 and $699 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.2% vs 75.8%. 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.