ZIP 55324 vs ZIP 55325

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55324 (Darwin, MN) and ZIP 55325 (Dassel, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55324 has a population of 1,234 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 55325 has 4,610 at 23 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 55324 reports a median household income of $83,269 against $87,137 in ZIP 55325, with per-capita income of $37,327 vs $38,150. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.4% in 55324 and 25.7% in 55325. Poverty rate reads 6.1% vs 7.1%, and unemployment 3.9% vs 3.0% — 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 $355,100 in 55324 versus $307,600 in 55325, with median rent of $797 and $851 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.4% vs 88.6%. 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.