ZIP 52332 vs ZIP 52206

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52332 (Shellsburg, IA) and ZIP 52206 (Atkins, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52332 has a population of 2,006 at 18 people per square mile, while ZIP 52206 has 2,303 at 31 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 52332 reports a median household income of $92,708 against $116,071 in ZIP 52206, with per-capita income of $42,119 vs $46,362. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.6% in 52332 and 33.5% in 52206. Poverty rate reads 5.8% vs 4.6%, and unemployment 0.7% vs 2.3% — 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 $198,000 in 52332 versus $309,700 in 52206, with median rent of $961 and $604 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.0% vs 92.3%. 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.