ZIP 54004 vs ZIP 54889

This side-by-side compares ZIP 54004 (Clayton, WI) and ZIP 54889 (Turtle Lake, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 54004 has a population of 2,317 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 54889 has 2,742 at 15 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 54004 reports a median household income of $68,182 against $77,143 in ZIP 54889, with per-capita income of $34,383 vs $45,345. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.1% in 54004 and 25.7% in 54889. Poverty rate reads 8.6% vs 6.9%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 1.7% — 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 $240,600 in 54004 versus $257,100 in 54889, with median rent of $858 and $846 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 88.3% vs 80.2%. 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.