ZIP 78616 vs ZIP 78662

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78616 (Dale, TX) and ZIP 78662 (Red Rock, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78616 has a population of 7,092 at 25 people per square mile, while ZIP 78662 has 2,268 at 11 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 78616 reports a median household income of $64,715 against $94,005 in ZIP 78662, with per-capita income of $28,448 vs $45,566. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.9% in 78616 and 15.6% in 78662. Poverty rate reads 11.7% vs 3.1%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 4.6% — 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 $211,500 in 78616 versus $248,600 in 78662, with median rent of $1,362 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.5% vs 84.5%. 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.