ZIP 53085 vs ZIP 53044

This side-by-side compares ZIP 53085 (Sheboygan Falls, WI) and ZIP 53044 (Kohler, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 53085 has a population of 11,267 at 61 people per square mile, while ZIP 53044 has 2,297 at 225 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 53085 reports a median household income of $73,703 against $131,250 in ZIP 53044, with per-capita income of $42,287 vs $72,714. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.4% in 53085 and 69.9% in 53044. Poverty rate reads 8.5% vs 2.3%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 5.7% — 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 $241,900 in 53085 versus $386,600 in 53044, with median rent of $880 and $1,180 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.0% vs 87.2%. 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.