ZIP 42503 vs ZIP 42501

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42503 (Somerset, KY) and ZIP 42501 (Somerset, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42503 has a population of 22,894 at 68 people per square mile, while ZIP 42501 has 17,592 at 34 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 42503 reports a median household income of $54,707 against $48,965 in ZIP 42501, with per-capita income of $32,285 vs $26,563. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.4% in 42503 and 17.6% in 42501. Poverty rate reads 15.2% vs 24.3%, and unemployment 5.0% vs 4.1% — 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 $210,200 in 42503 versus $142,200 in 42501, with median rent of $838 and $748 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.6% vs 63.3%. 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.