ZIP 55987 vs ZIP 55972

This side-by-side compares ZIP 55987 (Winona, MN) and ZIP 55972 (Saint Charles, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 55987 has a population of 35,629 at 86 people per square mile, while ZIP 55972 has 4,995 at 22 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 55987 reports a median household income of $61,624 against $98,878 in ZIP 55972, with per-capita income of $37,060 vs $46,697. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 35.7% in 55987 and 31.1% in 55972. Poverty rate reads 18.8% vs 4.8%, and unemployment 2.6% vs 0.5% — 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 $221,800 in 55987 versus $287,800 in 55972, with median rent of $899 and $1,011 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 63.9% vs 83.5%. 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.