ZIP 54813 vs ZIP 54871

This side-by-side compares ZIP 54813 (Barronett, WI) and ZIP 54871 (Shell Lake, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 54813 has a population of 601 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 54871 has 3,105 at 11 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 54813 reports a median household income of $71,193 against $69,342 in ZIP 54871, with per-capita income of $28,994 vs $38,648. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.6% in 54813 and 29.6% in 54871. Poverty rate reads 7.0% vs 8.3%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 1.8% — 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 $225,000 in 54813 versus $241,000 in 54871, with median rent of $767 and $644 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.1% vs 84.6%. 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.