ZIP 55912 vs ZIP 55950

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55912 (Austin, MN) and ZIP 55950 (Lansing, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55912 has a population of 28,483 at 59 people per square mile, while ZIP 55950 has 169 at 98 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 55912 reports a median household income of $70,177 against $61,250 in ZIP 55950, with per-capita income of $33,148 vs $37,797. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.1% in 55912 and 0.0% in 55950. Poverty rate reads 12.0% vs 21.4%, and unemployment 4.4% 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 $170,200 in 55912 versus $162,500 in 55950, with median rent of $951 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 74.0% vs 86.6%. 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.