ZIP 02122 vs ZIP 02171

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02122 (Dorchester, MA) and ZIP 02171 (Quincy, MA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02122 has a population of 23,479 at 4,455 people per square mile, while ZIP 02171 has 17,711 at 2,788 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 02122 reports a median household income of $86,150 against $106,885 in ZIP 02171, with per-capita income of $45,990 vs $65,500. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 38.8% in 02122 and 53.8% in 02171. Poverty rate reads 12.8% vs 9.6%, and unemployment 8.9% vs 6.1% — 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 $669,900 in 02122 versus $662,900 in 02171, with median rent of $2,209 and $2,388 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 44.8% vs 52.1%. 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.