ZIP 43943 vs ZIP 26030

This side-by-side compares ZIP 43943 (Rayland, OH) and ZIP 26030 (Beech Bottom, WV) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 43943 has a population of 3,472 at 32 people per square mile, while ZIP 26030 has 516 at 238 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 43943 reports a median household income of $54,784 against $33,125 in ZIP 26030, with per-capita income of $30,967 vs $23,600. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.1% in 43943 and 18.8% in 26030. Poverty rate reads 14.4% vs 24.0%, and unemployment 8.7% vs 4.5% — 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 $135,500 in 43943 versus $60,300 in 26030, with median rent of $728 and $791 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.7% vs 74.6%. 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.