ZIP 66510 vs ZIP 66871

This side-by-side compares ZIP 66510 (Melvern, KS) and ZIP 66871 (Waverly, KS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 66510 has a population of 779 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 66871 has 1,346 at 4 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 66510 reports a median household income of $57,262 against $71,094 in ZIP 66871, with per-capita income of $30,202 vs $33,610. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.6% in 66510 and 17.8% in 66871. Poverty rate reads 14.8% vs 13.3%, and unemployment 4.3% vs 7.7% — 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 $178,300 in 66510 versus $145,100 in 66871, with median rent of $691 and $838 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.8% vs 85.1%. 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.