ZIP 55741 vs ZIP 55708

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55741 (Gilbert, MN) and ZIP 55708 (Biwabik, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55741 has a population of 3,164 at 19 people per square mile, while ZIP 55708 has 959 at 17 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 55741 reports a median household income of $69,545 against $66,389 in ZIP 55708, with per-capita income of $41,149 vs $34,959. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.2% in 55741 and 28.9% in 55708. Poverty rate reads 8.3% vs 8.6%, and unemployment 1.1% vs 6.0% — 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 $164,500 in 55741 versus $110,300 in 55708, with median rent of $819 and $827 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.7% vs 82.5%. 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.