Binghamton vs Zanesville

Which is the better fit for you?

Binghamton, NY
51
Area Score
Bottom 23% nationally
Zanesville, OH
51
Area Score
Bottom 23% nationally

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Binghamton and Zanesville receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Binghamton to Zanesville

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Everyday prices
The Bureau of Economic Analysis publishes no regional price index for Zanesville, so nothing here is estimated in its place.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Needs a price index for both places.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$130 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $973 in Zanesville against $1,103 in Binghamton.
The median home
1% less
$123,700 in Zanesville against $124,800 in Binghamton.
The weather you would swap
Winters 6°F milder
Normal January lows are 22°F in Zanesville against 16°F in Binghamton; July highs are 85°F against 78°F (summers 7°F hotter).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

Binghamton
Zanesville
Opportunity: Binghamton is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
49 · Bottom 35%
vs
46 · Bottom 27%
Growth: Zanesville is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
48 · Bottom 46%
vs
58 · Top 33%
Climate: Zanesville is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
60 · Bottom 13%
vs
64 · Bottom 32%
Physical resilience: Binghamton is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
56 · Bottom 49%
vs
48 · Bottom 40%
Housing affordability: Zanesville is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
71 · Top 38%
vs
72 · Top 35%
Schools: Binghamton is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
24 · Bottom 17%
vs
21 · Bottom 14%
Access: Zanesville is the more favorable of the two.
Access
71 · Bottom 12%
vs
75 · Bottom 16%
Economic stability: Zanesville is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
20 · Bottom 2%
vs
22 · Bottom 4%

Measured values

MetricBinghamtonZanesvilleSource period
Population47,15124,7402024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$45,578 ±$3,354$43,280 ±$4,6072024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income — the two are too close to separate$30,320 ±$1,701$29,056 ±$3,5652024 ACS 5-Year
Population density4,500/sq mi2,102/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$124,800$123,7002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent — the two are too close to separate$870 ±$38$821 ±$492024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,103$973 — more favorableFY2026
Homeownership rate44.0%43.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate4.9%3.9% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)+1.7% — more favorable−0.7%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher30.7% — more favorable15.1%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate27.1% ±4%23.3% ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)7911812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents1.74.8 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+27.4%−21.3%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high78°F85°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low16°F22°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation42.0"38.6"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport50 mi47 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute20.6 min — more favorable24.0 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age35.936.92024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools11162024-25 school year
Students per teacher8.3 — more favorable18.42024-25 school year
Math proficiency44.5%52.5%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency44.0%56.6%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility70.7%47.9%2024-25 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

4 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

New York and Ohio do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Binghamton

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.

Zanesville

Elevated or high exposure: inland flooding.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Binghamton
—
Binghamton: Your Score
51
Area Score
Zanesville
—
Zanesville: Your Score
51
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Binghamton, NY · Zanesville, OH · How this is calculated: methodology