ZIP 53189 vs ZIP 53188

This side-by-side compares ZIP 53189 (Waukesha, WI) and ZIP 53188 (Waukesha, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 53189 has a population of 26,228 at 214 people per square mile, while ZIP 53188 has 35,195 at 493 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 53189 reports a median household income of $117,008 against $92,409 in ZIP 53188, with per-capita income of $56,122 vs $47,556. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.0% in 53189 and 43.0% in 53188. Poverty rate reads 6.3% vs 8.9%, and unemployment 1.6% vs 2.6% — 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 $406,200 in 53189 versus $348,600 in 53188, with median rent of $1,206 and $1,268 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.9% vs 67.1%. 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.