ZIP 50272 vs ZIP 50049

This side-by-side compares ZIP 50272 (Williamson, IA) and ZIP 50049 (Chariton, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 50272 has a population of 152 at 79 people per square mile, while ZIP 50049 has 6,493 at 13 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 50272 reports a median household income of $45,000 against $61,190 in ZIP 50049, with per-capita income of $19,412 vs $31,580. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 50272 and 17.1% in 50049. Poverty rate reads 35.8% vs 14.5%, and unemployment 8.5% vs 6.5% — 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 50272 versus $124,900 in 50049, with median rent of $631 and $704 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 78.2% vs 74.5%. 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.