ZIP 42217 vs ZIP 42442

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42217 (Crofton, KY) and ZIP 42442 (Nortonville, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42217 has a population of 4,117 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 42442 has 3,504 at 22 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 42217 reports a median household income of $65,357 against $58,190 in ZIP 42442, with per-capita income of $33,651 vs $27,788. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.3% in 42217 and 14.8% in 42442. Poverty rate reads 11.3% vs 12.0%, and unemployment 2.3% vs 7.0% — 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 $162,000 in 42217 versus $124,500 in 42442, with median rent of $841 and $838 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.5% vs 76.6%. 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.