ZIP 49863 vs ZIP 49812

This side-by-side compares ZIP 49863 (Nadeau, MI) and ZIP 49812 (Carney, MI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 49863 has a population of 130 at 92 people per square mile, while ZIP 49812 has 925 at 5 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 49863 reports a median household income of $32,961 against $51,250 in ZIP 49812, with per-capita income of $21,091 vs $30,752. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 7.5% in 49863 and 12.6% in 49812. Poverty rate reads 15.4% vs 19.7%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 9.9% — 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 $67,600 in 49863 versus $166,200 in 49812, with median rent of — and $900 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 94.0% vs 88.8%. 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.