ZIP 51049 vs ZIP 51061

This side-by-side compares ZIP 51049 (Quimby, IA) and ZIP 51061 (Washta, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 51049 has a population of 506 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 51061 has 510 at 4 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 51049 reports a median household income of $57,120 against $49,375 in ZIP 51061, with per-capita income of $35,590 vs $36,378. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.7% in 51049 and 13.2% in 51061. Poverty rate reads 8.7% vs 19.3%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 11.9% — 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 $106,100 in 51049 versus $77,500 in 51061, with median rent of $643 and $431 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.0% vs 88.7%. 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.