ZIP 42431 vs ZIP 42408

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42431 (Madisonville, KY) and ZIP 42408 (Dawson Springs, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42431 has a population of 26,916 at 62 people per square mile, while ZIP 42408 has 6,737 at 20 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 42431 reports a median household income of $54,905 against $60,900 in ZIP 42408, with per-capita income of $29,753 vs $26,152. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.1% in 42431 and 7.8% in 42408. Poverty rate reads 22.2% vs 20.2%, and unemployment 6.8% vs 4.9% — 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 $160,700 in 42431 versus $92,200 in 42408, with median rent of $850 and $560 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.5% vs 75.9%. 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.