ZIP 50548 vs ZIP 50529

This side-by-side compares ZIP 50548 (Humboldt, IA) and ZIP 50529 (Dakota City, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 50548 has a population of 5,869 at 18 people per square mile, while ZIP 50529 has 837 at 596 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 50548 reports a median household income of $76,214 against $60,417 in ZIP 50529, with per-capita income of $43,040 vs $35,508. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.6% in 50548 and 7.6% in 50529. Poverty rate reads 14.1% vs 6.3%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 9.1% — 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 $188,200 in 50548 versus $119,800 in 50529, with median rent of $741 and $965 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.4% vs 78.4%. 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.