ZIP 42286 vs ZIP 42234

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42286 (Trenton, 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 42286 has a population of 1,291 at 9 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 42286 reports a median household income of $65,938 against $58,259 in ZIP 42234, with per-capita income of $26,282 vs $34,113. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 30.9% in 42286 and 13.8% in 42234. Poverty rate reads 37.4% vs 21.1%, and unemployment 0.1% 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 $276,200 in 42286 versus $165,300 in 42234, with median rent of $738 and $854 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.7% 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.