ZIP 52338 vs ZIP 52404

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52338 (Swisher, IA) and ZIP 52404 (Cedar Rapids, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52338 has a population of 3,283 at 38 people per square mile, while ZIP 52404 has 37,796 at 266 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 52338 reports a median household income of $119,605 against $61,870 in ZIP 52404, with per-capita income of $61,228 vs $34,126. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 46.5% in 52338 and 23.1% in 52404. Poverty rate reads 3.8% vs 12.5%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 3.9% — 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 $392,700 in 52338 versus $168,600 in 52404, with median rent of $1,215 and $916 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.3% vs 66.1%. 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.