ZIP 79106 vs ZIP 79109

This side-by-side compares ZIP 79106 (Amarillo, TX) and ZIP 79109 (Amarillo, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 79106 has a population of 27,967 at 1,152 people per square mile, while ZIP 79109 has 43,516 at 1,608 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 79106 reports a median household income of $59,493 against $70,435 in ZIP 79109, with per-capita income of $35,034 vs $42,917. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.2% in 79106 and 32.3% in 79109. Poverty rate reads 14.7% vs 13.1%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 4.2% — 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 $174,400 in 79106 versus $222,900 in 79109, with median rent of $1,046 and $986 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 51.6% vs 57.8%. 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.