ZIP 53186 vs ZIP 53702

This side-by-side compares ZIP 53186 (Waukesha, WI) and ZIP 53702 (Madison, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 53186 has a population of 33,592 at 1,032 people per square mile, while ZIP 53702 has 50 at 1,160 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 53186 reports a median household income of $74,588 against — in ZIP 53702, with per-capita income of $42,053 vs —. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 41.7% in 53186 and — in 53702. Poverty rate reads 9.2% vs —, and unemployment 2.7% vs — — 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 $301,100 in 53186 versus — in 53702, with median rent of $1,229 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 55.1% vs —. 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.