ZIP 64136 vs ZIP 64055

This side-by-side compares ZIP 64136 (Kansas City, MO) and ZIP 64055 (Independence, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 64136 has a population of 2,153 at 176 people per square mile, while ZIP 64055 has 33,858 at 1,069 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 64136 reports a median household income of $51,867 against $62,439 in ZIP 64055, with per-capita income of $50,936 vs $34,654. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.3% in 64136 and 25.1% in 64055. Poverty rate reads 7.9% vs 13.1%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 4.9% — 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 $190,200 in 64136 versus $176,700 in 64055, with median rent of $1,212 and $1,166 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 38.6% vs 69.6%. 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.