ZIP 56027 vs ZIP 56013

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56027 (Elmore, MN) and ZIP 56013 (Blue Earth, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56027 has a population of 969 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 56013 has 4,531 at 10 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 56027 reports a median household income of $49,954 against $71,553 in ZIP 56013, with per-capita income of $33,563 vs $39,322. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.9% in 56027 and 26.0% in 56013. Poverty rate reads 19.4% vs 9.3%, and unemployment 4.9% vs 2.0% — 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 $57,700 in 56027 versus $176,900 in 56013, with median rent of $794 and $945 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.1% vs 75.0%. 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.