ZIP 50453 vs ZIP 50436

This side-by-side compares ZIP 50453 (Leland, IA) and ZIP 50436 (Forest City, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 50453 has a population of 588 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 50436 has 5,848 at 17 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 50453 reports a median household income of $77,868 against $74,940 in ZIP 50436, with per-capita income of $34,743 vs $41,737. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.3% in 50453 and 27.7% in 50436. Poverty rate reads 10.6% vs 11.2%, and unemployment 5.6% vs 2.0% — 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 $153,600 in 50453 versus $167,900 in 50436, with median rent of $789 and $739 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.3% vs 70.0%. 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.