ZIP 55718 vs ZIP 55797

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55718 (Carlton, MN) and ZIP 55797 (Wrenshall, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55718 has a population of 3,281 at 21 people per square mile, while ZIP 55797 has 1,441 at 8 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 55718 reports a median household income of $96,546 against $87,039 in ZIP 55797, with per-capita income of $43,080 vs $39,269. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 29.2% in 55718 and 23.6% in 55797. Poverty rate reads 4.3% vs 5.3%, and unemployment 6.2% vs 4.2% — 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 $319,100 in 55718 versus $257,400 in 55797, with median rent of $955 and $1,284 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.1% vs 94.1%. 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.