ZIP 48122 vs ZIP 48217

This side-by-side compares ZIP 48122 (Melvindale, MI) and ZIP 48217 (Detroit, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 48122 has a population of 10,727 at 1,520 people per square mile, while ZIP 48217 has 8,210 at 1,389 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 48122 reports a median household income of $42,185 against $44,447 in ZIP 48217, with per-capita income of $20,408 vs $24,277. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.0% in 48122 and 12.5% in 48217. Poverty rate reads 39.1% vs 20.0%, and unemployment 6.1% vs 7.1% — 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 $125,800 in 48122 versus $65,500 in 48217, with median rent of $1,110 and $966 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 60.8% vs 63.3%. 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.