ZIP 46970 vs ZIP 46958

This side-by-side compares ZIP 46970 (Peru, IN) and ZIP 46958 (Mexico, IN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 46970 has a population of 23,766 at 50 people per square mile, while ZIP 46958 has 460 at 422 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 46970 reports a median household income of $57,842 against $87,640 in ZIP 46958, with per-capita income of $30,917 vs $43,668. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.7% in 46970 and 27.6% in 46958. Poverty rate reads 16.6% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 6.9% 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 $118,700 in 46970 versus $102,000 in 46958, with median rent of $853 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.5% vs 91.4%. 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.