ZIP 42533 vs ZIP 42501

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42533 (Ferguson, 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 42533 has a population of 802 at 211 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 42533 reports a median household income of $41,000 against $48,965 in ZIP 42501, with per-capita income of $22,263 vs $26,563. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.4% in 42533 and 17.6% in 42501. Poverty rate reads 32.2% vs 24.3%, and unemployment 6.3% 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 $153,100 in 42533 versus $142,200 in 42501, with median rent of $765 and $748 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.1% 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.