ZIP 45638 vs ZIP 45680

This side-by-side compares ZIP 45638 (Ironton, OH) and ZIP 45680 (South Point, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 45638 has a population of 21,635 at 108 people per square mile, while ZIP 45680 has 13,074 at 152 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 45638 reports a median household income of $52,728 against $54,523 in ZIP 45680, with per-capita income of $29,408 vs $29,980. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.6% in 45638 and 15.2% in 45680. Poverty rate reads 19.0% vs 20.8%, and unemployment 4.9% 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 $119,000 in 45638 versus $164,800 in 45680, with median rent of $807 and $769 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.6% 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.