ZIP 50008 vs ZIP 50052

This side-by-side compares ZIP 50008 (Allerton, IA) and ZIP 50052 (Clio, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 50008 has a population of 878 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 50052 has 138 at 3 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 50008 reports a median household income of $75,417 against $93,125 in ZIP 50052, with per-capita income of $40,509 vs $49,094. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.7% in 50008 and 49.3% in 50052. Poverty rate reads 7.1% vs 3.8%, and unemployment 2.9% 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 $115,100 in 50008 versus $112,500 in 50052, with median rent of $641 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.0% vs 87.2%. 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.