ZIP 55738 vs ZIP 55751

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55738 (Forbes, MN) and ZIP 55751 (Iron, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55738 has a population of 544 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 55751 has 1,553 at 10 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 55738 reports a median household income of $82,969 against $75,200 in ZIP 55751, with per-capita income of $39,771 vs $38,080. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.5% in 55738 and 15.5% in 55751. Poverty rate reads 7.7% vs 5.7%, and unemployment 9.0% vs 5.7% — 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 $167,400 in 55738 versus $202,400 in 55751, with median rent of — and $700 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 97.1% vs 94.8%. 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.