ZIP 63555 vs ZIP 52542

This side-by-side compares ZIP 63555 (Memphis, MO) and ZIP 52542 (Cantril, IA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 63555 has a population of 3,201 at 6 people per square mile, while ZIP 52542 has 435 at 4 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 63555 reports a median household income of $67,426 against $65,000 in ZIP 52542, with per-capita income of $28,524 vs $32,913. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.8% in 63555 and 14.3% in 52542. Poverty rate reads 6.6% vs 9.1%, and unemployment 0.3% vs 2.5% — 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 $170,600 in 63555 versus $100,000 in 52542, with median rent of $505 and $758 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.1% vs 91.4%. 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.