ZIP 42220 vs ZIP 42280

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42220 (Elkton, KY) and ZIP 42280 (Sharon Grove, 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 42280 has 484 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 42220 reports a median household income of $60,965 against — in ZIP 42280, with per-capita income of $33,529 vs $27,736. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.2% in 42220 and 12.4% in 42280. Poverty rate reads 17.0% vs 35.2%, and unemployment 0.7% vs 6.1% — 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 $112,100 in 42280, with median rent of $910 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.9% vs 96.9%. 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.