ZIP 65609 vs ZIP 65626

This side-by-side compares ZIP 65609 (Bakersfield, MO) and ZIP 65626 (Caulfield, MO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 65609 has a population of 778 at 9 people per square mile, while ZIP 65626 has 1,637 at 6 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 65609 reports a median household income of $53,571 against $40,208 in ZIP 65626, with per-capita income of $34,739 vs $23,253. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 4.4% in 65609 and 11.4% in 65626. Poverty rate reads 7.4% vs 21.9%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 6.6% — 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 $108,700 in 65609 versus $228,000 in 65626, with median rent of $770 and $722 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.0% vs 88.6%. 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.