ZIP 66542 vs ZIP 66605

This side-by-side compares ZIP 66542 (Tecumseh, KS) and ZIP 66605 (Topeka, KS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 66542 has a population of 3,335 at 40 people per square mile, while ZIP 66605 has 19,919 at 771 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 66542 reports a median household income of $108,218 against $59,106 in ZIP 66605, with per-capita income of $59,306 vs $30,594. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 45.0% in 66542 and 20.1% in 66605. Poverty rate reads 4.1% vs 14.3%, and unemployment 1.3% 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 $234,700 in 66542 versus $170,500 in 66605, with median rent of $1,118 and $884 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.9% vs 70.5%. 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.