ZIP 49047 vs ZIP 49102

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49047 (Dowagiac, MI) and ZIP 49102 (Berrien Center, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49047 has a population of 14,805 at 48 people per square mile, while ZIP 49102 has 1,563 at 39 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 49047 reports a median household income of $62,963 against $63,000 in ZIP 49102, with per-capita income of $35,968 vs $39,484. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.3% in 49047 and 22.3% in 49102. Poverty rate reads 15.6% vs 6.7%, and unemployment 7.5% vs 5.9% — 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 $181,700 in 49047 versus $262,400 in 49102, with median rent of $858 and $1,263 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.0% vs 93.9%. 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.