ZIP 55044 vs ZIP 55306

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55044 (Lakeville, MN) and ZIP 55306 (Burnsville, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55044 has a population of 47,218 at 284 people per square mile, while ZIP 55306 has 15,935 at 990 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 55044 reports a median household income of $141,551 against $100,515 in ZIP 55306, with per-capita income of $60,343 vs $48,349. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 53.9% in 55044 and 42.2% in 55306. Poverty rate reads 3.0% vs 11.7%, and unemployment 2.2% vs 2.5% — 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 $488,600 in 55044 versus $374,700 in 55306, with median rent of $1,826 and $1,622 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 88.0% vs 66.5%. 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.