ZIP 55008 vs ZIP 55040

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55008 (Cambridge, MN) and ZIP 55040 (Isanti, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55008 has a population of 14,685 at 56 people per square mile, while ZIP 55040 has 12,568 at 49 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 55008 reports a median household income of $84,513 against $90,900 in ZIP 55040, with per-capita income of $39,930 vs $38,712. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.4% in 55008 and 20.7% in 55040. Poverty rate reads 8.9% vs 6.2%, and unemployment 2.6% vs 4.8% — 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 $290,700 in 55008 versus $314,000 in 55040, with median rent of $1,325 and $1,264 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.7% vs 89.3%. 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.