ZIP 64494 vs ZIP 64459

This side-by-side compares ZIP 64494 (Union Star, MO) and ZIP 64459 (Helena, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 64494 has a population of 1,018 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 64459 has 472 at 7 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 64494 reports a median household income of $65,511 against $78,808 in ZIP 64459, with per-capita income of $32,376 vs $30,970. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.4% in 64494 and 31.3% in 64459. Poverty rate reads 4.0% vs 7.8%, and unemployment 3.2% vs 0.0% — 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 $144,200 in 64494 versus $170,900 in 64459, with median rent of $915 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.0% vs 91.8%. 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.