ZIP 72858 vs ZIP 72802

This side-by-side compares ZIP 72858 (Pottsville, AR) and ZIP 72802 (Russellville, AR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 72858 has a population of 3,178 at 49 people per square mile, while ZIP 72802 has 20,973 at 60 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 72858 reports a median household income of $69,760 against $64,110 in ZIP 72802, with per-capita income of $38,732 vs $34,476. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.9% in 72858 and 30.8% in 72802. Poverty rate reads 11.2% vs 16.1%, and unemployment 5.6% vs 6.4% — 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 $172,400 in 72858 versus $203,400 in 72802, with median rent of $945 and $888 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.4% vs 77.3%. 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.