ZIP 45238 vs ZIP 45231

This side-by-side compares ZIP 45238 (Cincinnati, OH) and ZIP 45231 (Cincinnati, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 45238 has a population of 45,760 at 1,755 people per square mile, while ZIP 45231 has 40,893 at 1,100 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 45238 reports a median household income of $66,277 against $71,353 in ZIP 45231, with per-capita income of $35,793 vs $36,975. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.4% in 45238 and 29.2% in 45231. Poverty rate reads 13.0% vs 11.7%, and unemployment 4.4% 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 $183,900 in 45238 versus $176,000 in 45231, with median rent of $923 and $1,232 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.7% vs 72.6%. 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.