ZIP 65285 vs ZIP 65240

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65285 (Thompson, MO) and ZIP 65240 (Centralia, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65285 has a population of 695 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 65240 has 7,590 at 17 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 65285 reports a median household income of $98,625 against $71,707 in ZIP 65240, with per-capita income of $42,209 vs $35,387. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.5% in 65285 and 35.3% in 65240. Poverty rate reads 1.9% vs 8.7%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 4.8% — 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 $220,800 in 65285 versus $199,300 in 65240, with median rent of — and $694 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.7% vs 79.6%. 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.