ZIP 42754 vs ZIP 42726

This side-by-side compares ZIP 42754 (Leitchfield, KY) and ZIP 42726 (Clarkson, KY) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 42754 has a population of 15,349 at 32 people per square mile, while ZIP 42726 has 4,667 at 18 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 42754 reports a median household income of $48,737 against $60,078 in ZIP 42726, with per-capita income of $26,915 vs $34,355. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.5% in 42754 and 14.5% in 42726. Poverty rate reads 20.0% vs 15.1%, and unemployment 7.5% vs 2.2% — 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 $171,800 in 42754 versus $204,200 in 42726, with median rent of $653 and $903 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.9% vs 75.6%. 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.