ZIP 53024 vs ZIP 53012

This side-by-side compares ZIP 53024 (Grafton, WI) and ZIP 53012 (Cedarburg, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 53024 has a population of 16,579 at 234 people per square mile, while ZIP 53012 has 18,097 at 199 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 53024 reports a median household income of $92,390 against $96,090 in ZIP 53012, with per-capita income of $50,266 vs $58,864. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.2% in 53024 and 54.2% in 53012. Poverty rate reads 3.9% vs 3.7%, and unemployment 1.9% vs 2.9% — 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 $366,300 in 53024 versus $422,700 in 53012, with median rent of $1,228 and $1,130 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.9% vs 73.0%. 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.