ZIP 49342 vs ZIP 49320

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49342 (Rodney, MI) and ZIP 49320 (Chippewa Lake, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49342 has a population of 1,649 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 49320 has 21 at 23 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 49342 reports a median household income of $53,971 against $63,929 in ZIP 49320, with per-capita income of $33,262 vs $31,366. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.3% in 49342 and 9.4% in 49320. Poverty rate reads 9.6% vs 7.6%, and unemployment 2.3% vs 0.0% — 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 $168,300 in 49342 versus $128,100 in 49320, with median rent of $969 and $723 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.7% vs 69.4%. 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.