ZIP 55072 vs ZIP 55704

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55072 (Sandstone, MN) and ZIP 55704 (Askov, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55072 has a population of 4,737 at 6 people per square mile, while ZIP 55704 has 1,128 at 8 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 55072 reports a median household income of $58,144 against $62,500 in ZIP 55704, with per-capita income of $27,117 vs $32,456. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.3% in 55072 and 24.9% in 55704. Poverty rate reads 17.9% vs 13.3%, and unemployment 5.8% vs 10.2% — 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 $200,500 in 55072 versus $234,300 in 55704, with median rent of $1,045 and $488 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.4% vs 81.1%. 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.