ZIP 49091 vs ZIP 49093

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49091 (Sturgis, MI) and ZIP 49093 (Three Rivers, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49091 has a population of 19,872 at 88 people per square mile, while ZIP 49093 has 18,380 at 67 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 49091 reports a median household income of $67,333 against $63,118 in ZIP 49093, with per-capita income of $32,676 vs $32,748. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.4% in 49091 and 20.2% in 49093. Poverty rate reads 11.1% vs 11.4%, and unemployment 6.2% vs 7.4% — 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 $182,600 in 49091 versus $183,100 in 49093, with median rent of $841 and $851 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.0% vs 73.5%. 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.