ZIP 49224 vs ZIP 49284

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49224 (Albion, MI) and ZIP 49284 (Springport, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49224 has a population of 14,224 at 56 people per square mile, while ZIP 49284 has 3,028 at 22 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 49224 reports a median household income of $53,144 against $57,500 in ZIP 49284, with per-capita income of $24,775 vs $31,865. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.6% in 49224 and 17.1% in 49284. Poverty rate reads 20.7% vs 14.9%, and unemployment 12.0% vs 4.6% — 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 $137,400 in 49224 versus $153,200 in 49284, with median rent of $837 and $936 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.9% vs 80.4%. 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.