ZIP 78942 vs ZIP 78947

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78942 (Giddings, TX) and ZIP 78947 (Lexington, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78942 has a population of 8,989 at 17 people per square mile, while ZIP 78947 has 4,475 at 8 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 78942 reports a median household income of $73,429 against $84,649 in ZIP 78947, with per-capita income of $31,795 vs $39,766. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.1% in 78942 and 20.1% in 78947. Poverty rate reads 14.4% vs 7.4%, and unemployment 8.2% vs 4.3% — 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 $255,700 in 78942 versus $319,600 in 78947, with median rent of $1,088 and $1,068 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.3% vs 75.2%. 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.