ZIP 42154 vs ZIP 42214

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42154 (Knob Lick, KY) and ZIP 42214 (Center, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42154 has a population of 691 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 42214 has 682 at 14 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 42154 reports a median household income of $58,036 against $47,188 in ZIP 42214, with per-capita income of $26,424 vs $31,362. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.8% in 42154 and 26.8% in 42214. Poverty rate reads 36.2% vs 17.7%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 7.3% — 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 $155,600 in 42154 versus $130,000 in 42214, with median rent of — and $748 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.7% vs 83.9%. 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.