ZIP 59601 vs ZIP 59602

This side-by-side compares ZIP 59601 (Helena, MT) and ZIP 59602 (Helena, MT) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 59601 has a population of 29,283 at 82 people per square mile, while ZIP 59602 has 24,285 at 18 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 59601 reports a median household income of $72,290 against $92,985 in ZIP 59602, with per-capita income of $47,533 vs $43,317. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 50.9% in 59601 and 38.9% in 59602. Poverty rate reads 8.7% vs 7.4%, and unemployment 2.6% vs 4.3% — 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 $386,500 in 59601 versus $408,600 in 59602, with median rent of $1,046 and $1,464 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 55.8% vs 84.1%. 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.