ZIP 42220 vs ZIP 42234

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42220 (Elkton, KY) and ZIP 42234 (Guthrie, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42220 has a population of 6,844 at 15 people per square mile, while ZIP 42234 has 2,469 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 42220 reports a median household income of $60,965 against $58,259 in ZIP 42234, with per-capita income of $33,529 vs $34,113. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.2% in 42220 and 13.8% in 42234. Poverty rate reads 17.0% vs 21.1%, and unemployment 0.7% vs 11.0% — 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 $153,300 in 42220 versus $165,300 in 42234, with median rent of $910 and $854 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.9% vs 61.9%. 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.