ZIP 56001 vs ZIP 56003

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56001 (Mankato, MN) and ZIP 56003 (Mankato, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56001 has a population of 46,327 at 156 people per square mile, while ZIP 56003 has 14,335 at 127 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 56001 reports a median household income of $69,531 against $82,538 in ZIP 56003, with per-capita income of $35,795 vs $52,651. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 35.5% in 56001 and 40.9% in 56003. Poverty rate reads 19.0% vs 4.4%, and unemployment 5.6% vs 2.6% — 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 $276,700 in 56001 versus $270,400 in 56003, with median rent of $1,134 and $975 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 54.1% vs 71.3%. 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.