ZIP 52403 vs ZIP 52401

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52403 (Cedar Rapids, IA) and ZIP 52401 (Cedar Rapids, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 52403 has a population of 23,673 at 348 people per square mile, while ZIP 52401 has 2,017 at 657 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 52403 reports a median household income of $74,703 against $35,060 in ZIP 52401, with per-capita income of $52,030 vs $30,890. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 40.9% in 52403 and 32.6% in 52401. Poverty rate reads 7.4% vs 31.8%, and unemployment 3.5% vs 7.3% — 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 $206,900 in 52403 versus $157,100 in 52401, with median rent of $870 and $778 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 77.0% vs 9.9%. 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.