ZIP 55024 vs ZIP 55044

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55024 (Farmington, MN) and ZIP 55044 (Lakeville, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55024 has a population of 32,406 at 141 people per square mile, while ZIP 55044 has 47,218 at 284 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 55024 reports a median household income of $127,280 against $141,551 in ZIP 55044, with per-capita income of $49,167 vs $60,343. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 37.5% in 55024 and 53.9% in 55044. Poverty rate reads 3.9% vs 3.0%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 2.2% — 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 $378,700 in 55024 versus $488,600 in 55044, with median rent of $1,483 and $1,826 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 88.7% vs 88.0%. 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.