ZIP 78624 vs ZIP 78631

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78624 (Fredericksburg, TX) and ZIP 78631 (Harper, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78624 has a population of 21,513 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 78631 has 2,395 at 3 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 78624 reports a median household income of $75,237 against $78,560 in ZIP 78631, with per-capita income of $50,378 vs $35,226. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 38.0% in 78624 and 24.0% in 78631. Poverty rate reads 8.5% vs 11.1%, and unemployment 3.1% vs 0.6% — 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 $463,300 in 78624 versus $351,600 in 78631, with median rent of $1,342 and $1,304 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 73.7% vs 84.2%. 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.