ZIP 78942 vs ZIP 78948

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78942 (Giddings, TX) and ZIP 78948 (Lincoln, 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 78948 has 850 at 5 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 $58,889 in ZIP 78948, with per-capita income of $31,795 vs $42,201. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.1% in 78942 and 15.5% in 78948. Poverty rate reads 14.4% vs 4.9%, and unemployment 8.2% vs 5.1% — 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 $316,100 in 78948, with median rent of $1,088 and $875 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.3% vs 85.7%. 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.