ZIP 42266 vs ZIP 42286

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42266 (Pembroke, KY) and ZIP 42286 (Trenton, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42266 has a population of 2,590 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 42286 has 1,291 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 42266 reports a median household income of $71,250 against $65,938 in ZIP 42286, with per-capita income of $31,596 vs $26,282. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.2% in 42266 and 30.9% in 42286. Poverty rate reads 21.2% vs 37.4%, and unemployment 5.9% vs 0.1% — 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 $230,200 in 42266 versus $276,200 in 42286, with median rent of $923 and $738 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.8% vs 74.7%. 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.