ZIP 65248 vs ZIP 65274

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65248 (Fayette, MO) and ZIP 65274 (New Franklin, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65248 has a population of 4,619 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 65274 has 1,710 at 13 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 65248 reports a median household income of $53,125 against $69,833 in ZIP 65274, with per-capita income of $25,121 vs $34,712. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.9% in 65248 and 30.6% in 65274. Poverty rate reads 15.6% vs 11.1%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 1.4% — 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 $168,100 in 65248 versus $158,100 in 65274, with median rent of $909 and $681 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 69.3% vs 77.7%. 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.