ZIP 50011 vs ZIP 50012

This side-by-side compares ZIP 50011 (Ames, IA) and ZIP 50012 (Ames, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both, no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 50011 has a population of 1,390 at 11,112 people per square mile, while ZIP 50012 has 4,062 at 2,061 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 50011 reports a median household income of - against - in ZIP 50012, with per-capita income of - vs $6,380. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is - in 50011 and 100.0% in 50012. Poverty rate reads - vs 100.0%, and unemployment - vs 8.4% - 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 - in 50011 versus - in 50012, with median rent of - and - per month respectively. Homeownership rate is - vs 0.0%. 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.