ZIP 44857 vs ZIP 44855

This side-by-side compares ZIP 44857 (Norwalk, OH) and ZIP 44855 (North Fairfield, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 44857 has a population of 23,805 at 111 people per square mile, while ZIP 44855 has 1,271 at 18 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 44857 reports a median household income of $64,297 against $63,125 in ZIP 44855, with per-capita income of $33,672 vs $25,692. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.7% in 44857 and 19.1% in 44855. Poverty rate reads 14.6% vs 15.4%, and unemployment 5.1% vs 5.4% — 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 $175,300 in 44857 versus $159,000 in 44855, with median rent of $820 and $979 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.1% vs 82.8%. 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.