ZIP 55031 vs ZIP 55085

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55031 (Hampton, MN) and ZIP 55085 (Vermillion, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55031 has a population of 2,035 at 20 people per square mile, while ZIP 55085 has 417 at 197 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 55031 reports a median household income of $114,338 against $107,500 in ZIP 55085, with per-capita income of $48,954 vs $42,194. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.7% in 55031 and 18.6% in 55085. Poverty rate reads 3.7% vs 9.7%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 2.3% — 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 $409,800 in 55031 versus $311,800 in 55085, with median rent of $1,102 and $1,208 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 95.2% vs 90.8%. 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.