ZIP 65453 vs ZIP 65565

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65453 (Cuba, MO) and ZIP 65565 (Steelville, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65453 has a population of 8,548 at 24 people per square mile, while ZIP 65565 has 5,854 at 8 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 65453 reports a median household income of $62,790 against $50,277 in ZIP 65565, with per-capita income of $30,640 vs $25,300. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.2% in 65453 and 16.5% in 65565. Poverty rate reads 14.6% vs 16.8%, and unemployment 2.8% vs 8.8% — 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 $176,800 in 65453 versus $163,400 in 65565, with median rent of $745 and $698 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.0% vs 64.7%. 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.