ZIP 51060 vs ZIP 51572

This side-by-side compares ZIP 51060 (Ute, IA) and ZIP 51572 (Soldier, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 51060 has a population of 615 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 51572 has 398 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 51060 reports a median household income of $52,500 against $69,500 in ZIP 51572, with per-capita income of $31,049 vs $33,261. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 5.9% in 51060 and 15.2% in 51572. Poverty rate reads 6.9% vs 13.5%, and unemployment 1.5% vs 0.0% — 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 $99,400 in 51060 versus $101,300 in 51572, with median rent of $860 and $632 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.2% vs 83.9%. 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.