ZIP 49011 vs ZIP 49051

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49011 (Athens, MI) and ZIP 49051 (East Leroy, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49011 has a population of 2,285 at 27 people per square mile, while ZIP 49051 has 2,436 at 32 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 49011 reports a median household income of $59,722 against $74,886 in ZIP 49051, with per-capita income of $36,555 vs $41,882. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.2% in 49011 and 25.1% in 49051. Poverty rate reads 6.1% vs 3.8%, and unemployment 2.2% vs 3.1% — 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 $158,600 in 49011 versus $259,500 in 49051, with median rent of $1,057 and $843 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.9% vs 94.3%. 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.