ZIP 59863 vs ZIP 59824

This side-by-side compares ZIP 59863 (Ravalli, MT) and ZIP 59824 (Charlo, MT) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 59863 has a population of 76 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 59824 has 1,792 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 59863 reports a median household income of $78,922 against $53,382 in ZIP 59824, with per-capita income of $41,595 vs $32,422. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 5.5% in 59863 and 25.4% in 59824. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 15.5%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 2.6% — 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 — in 59863 versus $317,800 in 59824, with median rent of — and $846 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 77.9%. 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.