ZIP 56330 vs ZIP 56357

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56330 (Foreston, MN) and ZIP 56357 (Oak Park, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56330 has a population of 1,691 at 16 people per square mile, while ZIP 56357 has 1,029 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 56330 reports a median household income of $84,519 against $114,531 in ZIP 56357, with per-capita income of $34,385 vs $41,152. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.8% in 56330 and 19.3% in 56357. Poverty rate reads 7.0% vs 2.4%, and unemployment 1.8% vs 2.3% — 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 $278,300 in 56330 versus $294,300 in 56357, with median rent of $1,208 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.5% vs 98.1%. 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.