ZIP 65049 vs ZIP 65065

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65049 (Lake Ozark, MO) and ZIP 65065 (Osage Beach, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65049 has a population of 6,618 at 132 people per square mile, while ZIP 65065 has 6,414 at 158 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 65049 reports a median household income of $86,453 against $60,785 in ZIP 65065, with per-capita income of $47,347 vs $40,223. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 39.3% in 65049 and 27.1% in 65065. Poverty rate reads 12.3% vs 11.9%, and unemployment 6.6% vs 2.9% — 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 $362,800 in 65049 versus $371,600 in 65065, with median rent of $1,101 and $790 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 79.0% vs 67.4%. 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.