ZIP 55390 vs ZIP 55363

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55390 (Waverly, MN) and ZIP 55363 (Montrose, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55390 has a population of 2,473 at 27 people per square mile, while ZIP 55363 has 4,496 at 64 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 55390 reports a median household income of $103,750 against $101,989 in ZIP 55363, with per-capita income of $43,962 vs $36,746. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.8% in 55390 and 30.7% in 55363. Poverty rate reads 10.3% vs 10.5%, and unemployment 3.2% vs 4.0% — 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 $348,300 in 55390 versus $296,800 in 55363, with median rent of $1,281 and $1,405 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.3% vs 79.9%. 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.