ZIP 78934 vs ZIP 78943

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78934 (Columbus, TX) and ZIP 78943 (Glidden, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78934 has a population of 6,712 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 78943 has 352 at 23 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 78934 reports a median household income of $58,302 against $98,531 in ZIP 78943, with per-capita income of $41,259 vs $30,807. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.8% in 78934 and 0.0% in 78943. Poverty rate reads 19.7% vs 2.9%, and unemployment 3.2% 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 $234,500 in 78934 versus $206,600 in 78943, with median rent of $869 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.0% vs 65.6%. 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.