ZIP 52151 vs ZIP 52170

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52151 (Lansing, IA) and ZIP 52170 (Waterville, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52151 has a population of 2,138 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 52170 has 599 at 5 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 52151 reports a median household income of $69,938 against $72,788 in ZIP 52170, with per-capita income of $41,814 vs $41,749. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.5% in 52151 and 17.5% in 52170. Poverty rate reads 7.1% vs 9.2%, and unemployment 1.0% 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 $177,500 in 52151 versus $222,700 in 52170, with median rent of $579 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.2% vs 89.1%. 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.