ZIP 54981 vs ZIP 54961

This side-by-side compares ZIP 54981 (Waupaca, WI) and ZIP 54961 (New London, WI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 54981 has a population of 15,426 at 45 people per square mile, while ZIP 54961 has 14,266 at 45 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 54981 reports a median household income of $72,640 against $71,824 in ZIP 54961, with per-capita income of $42,946 vs $44,908. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.4% in 54981 and 18.2% in 54961. Poverty rate reads 8.2% vs 13.5%, and unemployment 3.4% 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 $218,700 in 54981 versus $221,400 in 54961, with median rent of $830 and $865 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.5% vs 70.7%. 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.