ZIP 78639 vs ZIP 78609

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78639 (Kingsland, TX) and ZIP 78609 (Buchanan Dam, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78639 has a population of 7,334 at 64 people per square mile, while ZIP 78609 has 2,012 at 33 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 78639 reports a median household income of $57,742 against $64,418 in ZIP 78609, with per-capita income of $43,997 vs $44,331. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.3% in 78639 and 25.2% in 78609. Poverty rate reads 16.5% vs 17.7%, and unemployment 5.7% vs 0.0% — 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 $245,500 in 78639 versus $319,700 in 78609, with median rent of $908 and $651 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.0% vs 73.2%. 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.