ZIP 63653 vs ZIP 63601

This side-by-side compares ZIP 63653 (Leadwood, MO) and ZIP 63601 (Park Hills, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 63653 has a population of 1,206 at 322 people per square mile, while ZIP 63601 has 16,656 at 114 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 63653 reports a median household income of $38,021 against $54,753 in ZIP 63601, with per-capita income of $17,384 vs $27,574. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 5.2% in 63653 and 14.3% in 63601. Poverty rate reads 39.7% vs 16.4%, and unemployment 3.2% vs 5.7% — 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 $53,900 in 63653 versus $126,300 in 63601, with median rent of $896 and $768 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 69.2% vs 65.5%. 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.