ZIP 56201 vs ZIP 56251

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56201 (Willmar, MN) and ZIP 56251 (Kandiyohi, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56201 has a population of 23,173 at 75 people per square mile, while ZIP 56251 has 987 at 11 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 56201 reports a median household income of $68,804 against $76,917 in ZIP 56251, with per-capita income of $33,913 vs $38,878. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.8% in 56201 and 24.6% in 56251. Poverty rate reads 11.9% vs 3.6%, and unemployment 4.3% vs 2.2% — 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 $216,300 in 56201 versus $218,400 in 56251, with median rent of $910 and $787 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 62.9% vs 81.6%. 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.