ZIP 42214 vs ZIP 42746

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42214 (Center, KY) and ZIP 42746 (Hardyville, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42214 has a population of 682 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 42746 has 1,892 at 16 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 42214 reports a median household income of $47,188 against $50,000 in ZIP 42746, with per-capita income of $31,362 vs $20,251. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.8% in 42214 and 8.1% in 42746. Poverty rate reads 17.7% vs 22.6%, and unemployment 7.3% vs 2.8% — 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 $130,000 in 42214 versus $115,200 in 42746, with median rent of $748 and $717 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.9% vs 90.0%. 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.