ZIP 78883 vs ZIP 78055

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78883 (Tarpley, TX) and ZIP 78055 (Medina, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78883 has a population of 353 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 78055 has 1,774 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 78883 reports a median household income of $40,491 against $85,345 in ZIP 78055, with per-capita income of $41,966 vs $40,924. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 41.5% in 78883 and 25.8% in 78055. Poverty rate reads 2.9% vs 21.9%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 2.9% — 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 $414,300 in 78883 versus $266,500 in 78055, with median rent of — and $929 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.5% vs 80.0%. 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.