ZIP 64055 vs ZIP 64050

This side-by-side compares ZIP 64055 (Independence, MO) and ZIP 64050 (Independence, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 64055 has a population of 33,858 at 1,069 people per square mile, while ZIP 64050 has 22,178 at 639 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 64055 reports a median household income of $62,439 against $48,834 in ZIP 64050, with per-capita income of $34,654 vs $31,292. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.1% in 64055 and 15.8% in 64050. Poverty rate reads 13.1% vs 18.5%, and unemployment 4.9% vs 5.3% — 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 $176,700 in 64055 versus $145,300 in 64050, with median rent of $1,166 and $948 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 69.6% vs 47.3%. 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.