ZIP 56277 vs ZIP 55310

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56277 (Olivia, MN) and ZIP 55310 (Bird Island, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56277 has a population of 3,191 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 55310 has 1,519 at 6 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 56277 reports a median household income of $70,326 against $87,292 in ZIP 55310, with per-capita income of $36,137 vs $46,333. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.8% in 56277 and 21.6% in 55310. Poverty rate reads 14.1% vs 6.3%, and unemployment 2.7% 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 $184,500 in 56277 versus $160,500 in 55310, with median rent of $798 and $629 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 70.2% 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.