ZIP 53803 vs ZIP 53586

This side-by-side compares ZIP 53803 (Benton, WI) and ZIP 53586 (Shullsburg, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 53803 has a population of 1,306 at 41 people per square mile, while ZIP 53586 has 2,284 at 9 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 53803 reports a median household income of $79,545 against $70,806 in ZIP 53586, with per-capita income of $34,666 vs $37,450. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.8% in 53803 and 21.8% in 53586. Poverty rate reads 8.6% vs 11.6%, and unemployment 3.1% vs 2.7% — 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 $163,700 in 53803 versus $166,100 in 53586, with median rent of $874 and $1,125 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.4% vs 78.2%. 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.