ZIP 54006 vs ZIP 54024

This side-by-side compares ZIP 54006 (Cushing, WI) and ZIP 54024 (Saint Croix Falls, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 54006 has a population of 743 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 54024 has 4,811 at 22 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 54006 reports a median household income of $69,688 against $75,417 in ZIP 54024, with per-capita income of $45,668 vs $42,484. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.5% in 54006 and 25.3% in 54024. Poverty rate reads 8.1% vs 6.1%, and unemployment 1.4% vs 4.1% — 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 $204,300 in 54006 versus $271,900 in 54024, with median rent of $634 and $924 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.8% vs 74.7%. 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.