ZIP 55709 vs ZIP 55786

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55709 (Bovey, MN) and ZIP 55786 (Taconite, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55709 has a population of 4,075 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 55786 has 305 at 28 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 55709 reports a median household income of $75,652 against $61,597 in ZIP 55786, with per-capita income of $36,571 vs $41,767. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.6% in 55709 and 17.3% in 55786. Poverty rate reads 11.5% vs 3.4%, and unemployment 4.7% vs 0.0% — 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 $225,700 in 55709 versus $127,100 in 55786, with median rent of $981 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.8% vs 91.8%. 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.