ZIP 52142 vs ZIP 52164

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52142 (Fayette, IA) and ZIP 52164 (Randalia, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52142 has a population of 1,871 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 52164 has 212 at 3 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 52142 reports a median household income of $56,875 against $48,375 in ZIP 52164, with per-capita income of $29,281 vs $26,393. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 30.1% in 52142 and 11.5% in 52164. Poverty rate reads 20.8% vs 11.0%, and unemployment 4.1% 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 $162,500 in 52142 versus $137,100 in 52164, with median rent of $1,319 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.9% vs 82.7%. 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.