ZIP 46910 vs ZIP 46539

This side-by-side compares ZIP 46910 (Akron, IN) and ZIP 46539 (Mentone, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 46910 has a population of 3,360 at 21 people per square mile, while ZIP 46539 has 2,298 at 28 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 46910 reports a median household income of $69,226 against $74,079 in ZIP 46539, with per-capita income of $30,948 vs $35,193. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.7% in 46910 and 13.3% in 46539. Poverty rate reads 14.5% vs 16.4%, and unemployment 2.5% vs 4.9% — 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 $204,200 in 46910 versus $159,000 in 46539, with median rent of $857 and $964 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.8% vs 79.0%. 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.