ZIP 52172 vs ZIP 52162

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52172 (Waukon, IA) and ZIP 52162 (Postville, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52172 has a population of 6,303 at 15 people per square mile, while ZIP 52162 has 3,285 at 13 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 52172 reports a median household income of $68,875 against $64,125 in ZIP 52162, with per-capita income of $35,345 vs $25,652. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.0% in 52172 and 15.4% in 52162. Poverty rate reads 8.3% vs 19.8%, and unemployment 2.8% vs 3.8% — 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 $166,100 in 52172 versus $133,100 in 52162, with median rent of $793 and $847 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 78.3% vs 62.4%. 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.