ZIP 46574 vs ZIP 46531

This side-by-side compares ZIP 46574 (Walkerton, IN) and ZIP 46531 (Grovertown, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 46574 has a population of 8,339 at 34 people per square mile, while ZIP 46531 has 1,458 at 26 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 46574 reports a median household income of $76,181 against $57,786 in ZIP 46531, with per-capita income of $37,164 vs $26,230. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.6% in 46574 and 7.4% in 46531. Poverty rate reads 9.2% vs 17.6%, and unemployment 3.8% vs 0.0% — 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 $188,100 in 46574 versus $141,900 in 46531, with median rent of $791 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.0% vs 95.6%. 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.