ZIP 56386 vs ZIP 56359

This side-by-side compares ZIP 56386 (Wahkon, MN) and ZIP 56359 (Onamia, MN) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 56386 has a population of 652 at 13 people per square mile, while ZIP 56359 has 3,878 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 56386 reports a median household income of $54,583 against $59,457 in ZIP 56359, with per-capita income of $31,697 vs $33,237. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.6% in 56386 and 19.6% in 56359. Poverty rate reads 8.7% vs 20.1%, and unemployment 5.8% vs 8.4% — 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 $277,800 in 56386 versus $232,200 in 56359, with median rent of $886 and $863 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.7% vs 71.0%. 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.