ZIP 51543 vs ZIP 51531

This side-by-side compares ZIP 51543 (Kimballton, IA) and ZIP 51531 (Elk Horn, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 51543 has a population of 445 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 51531 has 914 at 12 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 51543 reports a median household income of $72,083 against $59,199 in ZIP 51531, with per-capita income of $28,132 vs $37,230. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 9.0% in 51543 and 28.6% in 51531. Poverty rate reads 21.8% vs 9.6%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 1.4% — 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 $163,000 in 51543 versus $131,500 in 51531, with median rent of $1,069 and $668 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.8% 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.