ZIP 55315 vs ZIP 55318

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55315 (Carver, MN) and ZIP 55318 (Chaska, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55315 has a population of 4,762 at 69 people per square mile, while ZIP 55318 has 25,493 at 239 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 55315 reports a median household income of $140,893 against $112,243 in ZIP 55318, with per-capita income of $56,369 vs $57,112. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 60.8% in 55315 and 47.0% in 55318. Poverty rate reads 2.9% vs 5.6%, and unemployment 3.3% vs 3.3% — 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 $453,000 in 55315 versus $420,400 in 55318, with median rent of $1,386 and $1,555 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.6% vs 69.1%. 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.