ZIP Code 12970 — Paul Smiths, New York

The median home in 12970 is valued at $300,000 against a median household income of $81,250, a price-to-income ratio of 3.7. That is above the 2.9 median across the 1,572 New York ZIP codes with published housing data, and past the 3.0 ratio that marks an attainable market nationally. Within Franklin County, 12970 ranks 18 of 20 ZIPs on affordability (1 = lowest ratio); the county median ratio is 2.1. Renting takes 21.5% of median household income (median rent $1,453 a month), under the 30% cost-burden threshold.

12970 ranks 749 of 1,572 statewide on median household income and 622 of 1,572 on median home value; its income is above the $64,639 Franklin County median. 72% of households own their home, below the 80% statewide ZIP median, making this a majority-owner ZIP. 54% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, far above the 31% median, and the poverty rate is 4.0%, far below the 9.9% statewide ZIP median and among the lowest in the state. Unemployment stands at 15.6%.

With 9 residents per square mile across 109 square miles of land, 12970 is far less dense than the statewide ZIP median of 197 (rank 1,523 of 1,572). This is rural or open territory where most of the land is agricultural, forest, desert or public land.