ZIP 44870 vs ZIP 44089

This side-by-side compares ZIP 44870 (Sandusky, OH) and ZIP 44089 (Vermilion, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 44870 has a population of 41,030 at 272 people per square mile, while ZIP 44089 has 15,899 at 178 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 44870 reports a median household income of $62,082 against $70,495 in ZIP 44089, with per-capita income of $34,855 vs $47,913. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.9% in 44870 and 31.7% in 44089. Poverty rate reads 18.2% vs 6.6%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 5.8% — 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 $163,200 in 44870 versus $210,500 in 44089, with median rent of $922 and $1,084 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 60.9% vs 81.0%. 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.