ZIP 63042 vs ZIP 63044

This side-by-side compares ZIP 63042 (Hazelwood, MO) and ZIP 63044 (Bridgeton, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 63042 has a population of 19,602 at 621 people per square mile, while ZIP 63044 has 10,568 at 272 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 63042 reports a median household income of $49,453 against $77,819 in ZIP 63044, with per-capita income of $30,101 vs $41,731. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.8% in 63042 and 36.2% in 63044. Poverty rate reads 17.9% vs 10.6%, and unemployment 12.6% vs 3.5% — 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 $149,400 in 63042 versus $238,100 in 63044, with median rent of $976 and $1,145 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 52.0% vs 68.4%. 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.