ZIP 66614 vs ZIP 66604

This side-by-side compares ZIP 66614 (Topeka, KS) and ZIP 66604 (Topeka, KS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 66614 has a population of 31,354 at 422 people per square mile, while ZIP 66604 has 23,344 at 1,363 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 66614 reports a median household income of $71,377 against $60,874 in ZIP 66604, with per-capita income of $41,315 vs $33,333. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 37.2% in 66614 and 35.6% in 66604. Poverty rate reads 9.9% vs 16.7%, and unemployment 3.6% vs 4.7% — 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 $194,100 in 66614 versus $139,100 in 66604, with median rent of $1,016 and $1,082 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 67.3% vs 54.5%. 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.