ZIP 78670 vs ZIP 78622

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78670 (Staples, TX) and ZIP 78622 (Fentress, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78670 has a population of 168 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 78622 has 296 at 138 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 78670 reports a median household income of $78,625 against — in ZIP 78622, with per-capita income of $35,392 vs $26,388. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.8% in 78670 and 21.9% in 78622. Poverty rate reads 1.5% vs 22.1%, and unemployment 19.6% 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 $244,100 in 78670 versus $160,900 in 78622, with median rent of $1,225 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.3% vs 89.7%. 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.