ZIP 55906 vs ZIP 55932

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55906 (Rochester, MN) and ZIP 55932 (Elgin, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55906 has a population of 17,598 at 107 people per square mile, while ZIP 55932 has 2,042 at 16 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 55906 reports a median household income of $93,685 against $100,078 in ZIP 55932, with per-capita income of $53,689 vs $46,342. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 53.6% in 55906 and 32.4% in 55932. Poverty rate reads 8.4% vs 5.8%, and unemployment 3.9% vs 3.1% — 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 $377,800 in 55906 versus $316,500 in 55932, with median rent of $1,196 and $730 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.0% vs 85.3%. 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.