ZIP 49415 vs ZIP 49442

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49415 (Fruitport, MI) and ZIP 49442 (Muskegon, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49415 has a population of 6,480 at 85 people per square mile, while ZIP 49442 has 41,214 at 365 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 49415 reports a median household income of $81,908 against $48,563 in ZIP 49442, with per-capita income of $44,119 vs $23,995. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.0% in 49415 and 10.4% in 49442. Poverty rate reads 6.7% vs 20.4%, and unemployment 2.2% vs 9.7% — 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 $246,300 in 49415 versus $136,400 in 49442, with median rent of $1,109 and $971 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 94.1% 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.