The ZIP Codes That Diverge Most From Their Own City
City-level median income hides a lot. These ZIP areas sit furthest from the city they belong to.
A city-level median is an average of very different places. These are the published ZIP areas whose median household income sits furthest from the city containing them — in both directions.
Furthest above their city
| ZIP area | City median | ZIP median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 94708 — Berkeley, CA | $108,092 | $234,923 | +126,831 |
| 21131 — Cockeysville, MD | $77,680 | $197,619 | +119,939 |
| 02090 — Norwood, MA | $107,030 | $223,125 | +116,095 |
| 06831 — Stamford, CT | $111,586 | $227,159 | +115,573 |
| 22207 — Arlington, VA | $142,114 | $245,745 | +103,631 |
| 76008 — Fort Worth, TX | $79,507 | $168,314 | +88,807 |
| 43035 — Columbus, OH | $66,082 | $154,683 | +88,601 |
| 40059 — Louisville/Jefferson County, KY | $66,849 | $152,727 | +85,878 |
| 66221 — Overland Park, KS | $104,834 | $190,000 | +85,166 |
| 75054 — Grand Prairie, TX | $81,619 | $163,229 | +81,610 |
| 30622 — Athens-Clarke County, GA | $52,974 | $133,563 | +80,589 |
| 77433 — Houston, TX | $64,813 | $143,934 | +79,121 |
Furthest below
| ZIP area | City median | ZIP median | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 07066 — Westfield, NJ | $232,629 | $133,504 | −99,125 |
| 46069 — Zionsville, IN | $172,024 | $76,990 | −95,034 |
| 43054 — New Albany, OH | $238,250 | $148,100 | −90,150 |
| 34112 — Naples, FL | $153,182 | $69,842 | −83,340 |
| 63069 — Wildwood, MO | $161,060 | $78,185 | −82,875 |
| 34104 — Naples, FL | $153,182 | $71,686 | −81,496 |
| 43220 — Upper Arlington, OH | $155,167 | $74,298 | −80,869 |
| 94303 — Palo Alto, CA | $231,101 | $151,609 | −79,492 |
| 20774 — Brock Hall, MD | $206,451 | $128,259 | −78,192 |
| 33156 — Pinecrest, FL | $206,417 | $137,076 | −69,341 |
| 33067 — Parkland, FL | $198,669 | $131,216 | −67,453 |
| 15237 — Franklin Park, PA | $176,875 | $109,895 | −66,980 |
ACS estimates for small geographies carry wider margins of error than city-level figures; every ZIP profile shows the margin next to the estimate. A margin of nine or ten thousand dollars is ordinary for a ZIP of this size, so the order of these rows is far less certain than the individual gaps: neighboring entries are usually closer together than the margin on either one. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP geography rather than matching it exactly.
12 ZIP areas are left out of both tables because the Census publishes any median household income above $250,000 as “250,001” — a ceiling, not a measurement — for the ZIP, its city, or both. Their true gaps are unknown and larger than anything shown here, and a difference computed against a ceiling would have topped both lists while meaning nothing.
Methodology
For every published ZIP profile, median household income from the ACS five-year estimates is compared with the same measure for the city containing that ZIP. Both figures come from the same release, so the comparison is like for like. Only ZIP areas of 5,000 or more residents are included.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) (2024)
Related
Every figure here is recalculated from the same measurements the profiles use. See the methodology for how the underlying data is collected and normalized, and the editorial policy for how these reports are written.