ZIP 52402 vs ZIP 52404

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52402 (Cedar Rapids, 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 52402 has a population of 40,149 at 1,125 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 52402 reports a median household income of $73,439 against $61,870 in ZIP 52404, with per-capita income of $42,328 vs $34,126. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 42.2% in 52402 and 23.1% in 52404. Poverty rate reads 9.1% vs 12.5%, and unemployment 3.4% 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 $194,000 in 52402 versus $168,600 in 52404, with median rent of $1,054 and $916 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.3% 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.