ZIP 55011 vs ZIP 55005

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55011 (Cedar, MN) and ZIP 55005 (Bethel, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55011 has a population of 10,170 at 87 people per square mile, while ZIP 55005 has 4,422 at 88 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 55011 reports a median household income of $121,434 against $109,107 in ZIP 55005, with per-capita income of $47,106 vs $45,475. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.8% in 55011 and 17.3% in 55005. Poverty rate reads 2.2% vs 2.1%, and unemployment 2.0% vs 6.2% — 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 $405,300 in 55011 versus $340,600 in 55005, with median rent of $1,869 and $1,810 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 95.6% vs 88.5%. 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.