ZIP 48623 vs ZIP 48611

This side-by-side compares ZIP 48623 (Freeland, MI) and ZIP 48611 (Auburn, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 48623 has a population of 13,993 at 73 people per square mile, while ZIP 48611 has 6,554 at 66 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 48623 reports a median household income of $101,250 against $87,963 in ZIP 48611, with per-capita income of $44,097 vs $43,637. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 36.3% in 48623 and 34.9% in 48611. Poverty rate reads 5.5% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 4.0% vs 1.5% — 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 $257,700 in 48623 versus $177,100 in 48611, with median rent of $1,229 and $933 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.8% vs 83.2%. 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.