ZIP 49235 vs ZIP 49256

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49235 (Clayton, MI) and ZIP 49256 (Morenci, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49235 has a population of 2,117 at 16 people per square mile, while ZIP 49256 has 3,888 at 26 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 49235 reports a median household income of $64,219 against $62,880 in ZIP 49256, with per-capita income of $30,817 vs $30,710. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.8% in 49235 and 10.8% in 49256. Poverty rate reads 12.3% vs 10.0%, and unemployment 6.5% vs 3.5% — 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 $173,500 in 49235 versus $129,400 in 49256, with median rent of $1,052 and $872 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.6% vs 79.8%. 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.