ZIP 47138 vs ZIP 47243

This side-by-side compares ZIP 47138 (Lexington, IN) and ZIP 47243 (Hanover, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 47138 has a population of 4,373 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 47243 has 5,951 at 66 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 47138 reports a median household income of $86,335 against $65,197 in ZIP 47243, with per-capita income of $34,972 vs $28,438. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.1% in 47138 and 19.7% in 47243. Poverty rate reads 5.1% vs 10.1%, and unemployment 4.4% vs 6.6% — 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 $201,800 in 47138 versus $183,900 in 47243, with median rent of $1,329 and $908 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.0% vs 73.6%. 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.