ZIP 55329 vs ZIP 55389

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55329 (Eden Valley, MN) and ZIP 55389 (Watkins, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55329 has a population of 2,118 at 16 people per square mile, while ZIP 55389 has 2,643 at 14 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 55329 reports a median household income of $79,453 against $96,786 in ZIP 55389, with per-capita income of $36,311 vs $38,400. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 12.5% in 55329 and 10.8% in 55389. Poverty rate reads 9.7% vs 7.0%, and unemployment 1.4% 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 $223,200 in 55329 versus $273,700 in 55389, with median rent of $920 and $767 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.5% vs 84.8%. 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.