ZIP 56324 vs ZIP 56309

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56324 (Dalton, MN) and ZIP 56309 (Ashby, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56324 has a population of 1,115 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 56309 has 1,185 at 8 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 56324 reports a median household income of $82,917 against $84,750 in ZIP 56309, with per-capita income of $44,674 vs $41,423. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.1% in 56324 and 22.9% in 56309. Poverty rate reads 3.0% vs 6.9%, and unemployment 3.3% vs 2.8% — 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 $252,600 in 56324 versus $289,900 in 56309, with median rent of $775 and $750 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.2% vs 85.0%. 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.