ZIP 65023 vs ZIP 65053

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65023 (Centertown, MO) and ZIP 65053 (Lohman, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65023 has a population of 1,730 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 65053 has 1,425 at 16 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 65023 reports a median household income of $72,663 against $120,870 in ZIP 65053, with per-capita income of $41,670 vs $57,530. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.3% in 65023 and 36.7% in 65053. Poverty rate reads 11.8% vs 1.6%, and unemployment 3.1% 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 $221,200 in 65023 versus $341,400 in 65053, with median rent of $953 and $745 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.2% vs 90.7%. 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.