ZIP 49431 vs ZIP 49454

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49431 (Ludington, MI) and ZIP 49454 (Scottville, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49431 has a population of 16,875 at 63 people per square mile, while ZIP 49454 has 4,574 at 24 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 49431 reports a median household income of $66,336 against $61,280 in ZIP 49454, with per-capita income of $40,407 vs $29,656. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 31.3% in 49431 and 16.5% in 49454. Poverty rate reads 14.0% vs 16.5%, and unemployment 3.6% vs 7.2% — 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 $237,700 in 49431 versus $194,300 in 49454, with median rent of $914 and $813 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.3% vs 78.1%. 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.