ZIP 02131 vs ZIP 02136

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02131 (Roslindale, MA) and ZIP 02136 (Hyde Park, MA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02131 has a population of 29,826 at 4,452 people per square mile, while ZIP 02136 has 28,488 at 2,396 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 02131 reports a median household income of $111,006 against $96,737 in ZIP 02136, with per-capita income of $59,973 vs $44,254. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 53.9% in 02131 and 35.8% in 02136. Poverty rate reads 9.0% vs 10.0%, and unemployment 5.7% vs 6.3% — 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 $664,700 in 02131 versus $578,400 in 02136, with median rent of $2,020 and $1,869 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.3% vs 53.2%. 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.