ZIP 66612 vs ZIP 66603

This side-by-side compares ZIP 66612 (Topeka, KS) and ZIP 66603 (Topeka, KS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 66612 has a population of 2,477 at 931 people per square mile, while ZIP 66603 has 2,001 at 895 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 66612 reports a median household income of $26,067 against $44,688 in ZIP 66603, with per-capita income of $21,313 vs $26,473. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.2% in 66612 and 15.3% in 66603. Poverty rate reads 27.8% vs 25.0%, and unemployment 7.3% vs 3.3% — 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 — in 66612 versus $107,900 in 66603, with median rent of $716 and $698 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 18.5% vs 29.1%. 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.