ZIP 49288 vs ZIP 43501

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49288 (Waldron, MI) and ZIP 43501 (Alvordton, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49288 has a population of 1,384 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 43501 has 788 at 13 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 49288 reports a median household income of $66,833 against $68,203 in ZIP 43501, with per-capita income of $27,588 vs $41,982. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.4% in 49288 and 9.0% in 43501. Poverty rate reads 7.9% vs 11.3%, and unemployment 9.9% vs 2.7% — 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 $147,500 in 49288 versus $114,900 in 43501, with median rent of $1,023 and $997 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 78.2% vs 77.7%. 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.