ZIP 49406 vs ZIP 49453

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49406 (Douglas, MI) and ZIP 49453 (Saugatuck, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49406 has a population of 884 at 182 people per square mile, while ZIP 49453 has 2,626 at 93 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 49406 reports a median household income of $102,500 against $110,139 in ZIP 49453, with per-capita income of $76,866 vs $67,545. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 63.5% in 49406 and 53.2% in 49453. Poverty rate reads 3.1% vs 4.8%, and unemployment 1.3% vs 1.4% — 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 $497,100 in 49406 versus $490,600 in 49453, with median rent of — and $858 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 96.8% vs 91.7%. 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.