ZIP 39525 vs ZIP 39576

This side-by-side compares ZIP 39525 (Diamondhead, MS) and ZIP 39576 (Waveland, MS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 39525 has a population of 8,383 at 303 people per square mile, while ZIP 39576 has 5,809 at 345 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 39525 reports a median household income of $87,407 against $70,217 in ZIP 39576, with per-capita income of $45,454 vs $37,239. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 42.3% in 39525 and 25.2% in 39576. Poverty rate reads 7.0% vs 8.6%, and unemployment 4.1% vs 3.4% — 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 $259,600 in 39525 versus $230,000 in 39576, with median rent of $1,571 and $918 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.7% vs 59.8%. 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.