ZIP 52404 vs ZIP 52401

This side-by-side compares ZIP 52404 (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 52404 has a population of 37,796 at 266 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 52404 reports a median household income of $61,870 against $35,060 in ZIP 52401, with per-capita income of $34,126 vs $30,890. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.1% in 52404 and 32.6% in 52401. Poverty rate reads 12.5% vs 31.8%, and unemployment 3.9% 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 $168,600 in 52404 versus $157,100 in 52401, with median rent of $916 and $778 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.1% 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.