ZIP 02540 vs ZIP 02556

This side-by-side compares ZIP 02540 (Falmouth, MA) and ZIP 02556 (North Falmouth, MA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 02540 has a population of 8,221 at 296 people per square mile, while ZIP 02556 has 3,115 at 311 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 02540 reports a median household income of $77,295 against $121,810 in ZIP 02556, with per-capita income of $67,865 vs $67,084. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 61.2% in 02540 and 66.4% in 02556. Poverty rate reads 18.1% vs 2.9%, and unemployment 5.3% vs 6.2% — 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 $844,500 in 02540 versus $717,800 in 02556, with median rent of $1,390 and $2,339 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.1% vs 85.9%. 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.