Postal Codes

17856 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 17856 covers New Columbia, Pennsylvania, with a population of about 3,085 and a median household income of $92,400.

Population
3,08563 per square mile
Median age
489.3 points above the US average
Median household income
$92,4001.2× the Pennsylvania median
Poverty rate
7.6%4.8 points below the US average
Typical home value
$271,725up 34.4% in five years
Median rent
$97516% below the Pennsylvania median
Degree or higher
22.8%12.2 points below the US average
Homeownership
93.8%28.8 points above the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
50

Where 17856 is

New Columbia, Pennsylvania — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population3,085
Median age48
Family households71.5%
Born outside the US1.8%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.5%
White (non-Hispanic)97.7%
Black (non-Hispanic)0.8%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.3%
Hispanic or Latino0%
Veterans4.4%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$92,400
Income per person$41,143
Poverty rate7.6%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance8.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k2.0%
$10–15k1.4%
$15–20k1.7%
$20–25k5.7%
$25–30k3.5%
$30–35k0.7%
$35–40k2.2%
$40–45k3.9%
$45–50k2.7%
$50–60k5.0%
$60–75k9.2%
$75–100k15.6%
$100–125k18.9%
$125–150k7.4%
$150–200k13.8%
$200k or more6.4%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed1,710
Mean adjusted gross income$65,568
Returns declaring $200,000 or more2.3%
Returns, under $25k28.1%
Returns, $25k–$50k24.0%
Returns, $50k–$75k16.4%
Returns, $75k–$100k12.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k17.0%
Returns, $200k or more2.3%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$188,400
Median gross rent$975
Owner-occupied93.8%
Vacant homes5.4%
Median year built1979

What the homes are

Detached house82.1%
2 to 4 units2.3%
Mobile home15.6%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$271,725as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 6.6%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 34.4%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 81.9%
Typical home value since 2000
201320192026$271,725$133,590

$133,590 in 2013 to $271,725 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate3.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher22.8%
High school diploma or higher86%
Works from home2.9%
Drives to work alone91.1%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more0.5%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Colorectal screening67.4% 3.1 pts above the national average of 64.3%
Visited a dentist58.4% 2.9 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Mammography use73.9% 2 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Sleeps under 7 hours38.3% 1.9 pts above the national average of 36.4%
All natural teeth lost18.3% 5.3 pts above the national average of 13%
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments50
People employed936
Annual payroll$58,813,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 72% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate
Expected annual loss68.3 out of 100
Community resilience61.8 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Winter weather93.8Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind93.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide92.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding91.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning78.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane74.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire55.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado48.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave42.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail36.9Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave35.3Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake32.3Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Avalanche17.6Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm4.1Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
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Compared with Pennsylvania and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPPennsylvaniaUnited States
Median household income$92,400$76,081$78,538
Income per person$41,143$43,104$43,289
Poverty rate7.6%11.8%12.4%
Median home value$188,400$240,500$303,400
Median gross rent$975$1,162$1,348
Homeownership93.8%69.3%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher22.8%34.5%35%
Unemployment rate3.1%5.2%5.2%
Works from home2.9%13.8%13.5%
Born outside the US1.8%7.4%13.9%
Median age4840.938.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationLEWISBURG, PA US12 km away
Rain in a year44 in
Snow in a year29 in

Average high and low by month

January35.2°F / 18.9°F3.13 in rain, 8 in snow
February38.4°F / 19.8°F2.41 in rain, 7.8 in snow
March48°F / 27.1°F3.48 in rain, 5.3 in snow
April61.9°F / 36.9°F3.75 in rain, 0.8 in snow
May71.9°F / 47.9°F3.93 in rain
June79.7°F / 57.4°F3.74 in rain
July84.3°F / 61.5°F4.49 in rain
August82.5°F / 59.7°F4.28 in rain
September75.3°F / 52.3°F4.41 in rain
October63°F / 41.2°F3.81 in rain, 0.2 in snow
November50.5°F / 31.3°F3.1 in rain, 1.3 in snow
December39.6°F / 24.3°F3.35 in rain, 5.4 in snow
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarket14% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Milton Area School District85.1% of this ZIP code's land area
Mifflinburg Area School District14% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability56more vulnerable than 56% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status61more vulnerable than 61% of US census tracts
Household characteristics28more vulnerable than 28% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status3more vulnerable than 3% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport81more vulnerable than 81% of US census tracts
Walkability5.2 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

17887 White Deer, PA3.3 km away
17886 West Milton, PA4.8 km away
17730 Dewart, PA6.5 km away
17847 Milton, PA6.7 km away
17777 Watsontown, PA6.7 km away
17749 Mc Ewensville, PA7.3 km away
17837 Lewisburg, PA9.4 km away
17810 Allenwood, PA10 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Union County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area48.81 sq mi
Water area0.16 sq mi
Population density63 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude41.0541, -76.9019

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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