ZIP 55043 vs ZIP 55003

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55043 (Lakeland, MN) and ZIP 55003 (Bayport, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55043 has a population of 3,540 at 353 people per square mile, while ZIP 55003 has 3,471 at 641 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 55043 reports a median household income of $102,966 against $125,893 in ZIP 55003, with per-capita income of $60,732 vs $39,178. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 47.7% in 55043 and 27.5% in 55003. Poverty rate reads 6.0% vs 3.7%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 1.8% — 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 $383,500 in 55043 versus $376,900 in 55003, with median rent of $1,617 and $2,028 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.1% vs 91.7%. 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.