ZIP 22554 vs ZIP 22405

This side-by-side compares ZIP 22554 (Stafford, VA) and ZIP 22405 (Fredericksburg, VA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 22554 has a population of 51,463 at 299 people per square mile, while ZIP 22405 has 29,152 at 213 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 22554 reports a median household income of $151,480 against $128,259 in ZIP 22405, with per-capita income of $53,053 vs $55,317. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.2% in 22554 and 43.6% in 22405. Poverty rate reads 3.8% vs 4.3%, and unemployment 3.1% vs 3.2% — 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 $521,400 in 22554 versus $433,000 in 22405, with median rent of $2,085 and $1,980 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.3% vs 84.1%. 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.