ZIP 65201 vs ZIP 65010

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65201 (Columbia, MO) and ZIP 65010 (Ashland, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65201 has a population of 39,417 at 178 people per square mile, while ZIP 65010 has 5,704 at 36 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 65201 reports a median household income of $48,113 against $95,559 in ZIP 65010, with per-capita income of $30,029 vs $48,406. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 54.4% in 65201 and 43.9% in 65010. Poverty rate reads 34.2% vs 3.9%, and unemployment 5.7% vs 1.3% — 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 $248,400 in 65201 versus $313,900 in 65010, with median rent of $1,091 and $1,188 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 32.2% vs 76.7%. 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.