ZIP 67017 vs ZIP 67144

This side-by-side compares ZIP 67017 (Benton, KS) and ZIP 67144 (Towanda, KS) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 67017 has a population of 2,294 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 67144 has 2,716 at 23 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 67017 reports a median household income of $88,750 against $73,589 in ZIP 67144, with per-capita income of $44,201 vs $34,698. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.1% in 67017 and 30.5% in 67144. Poverty rate reads 5.3% vs 8.7%, and unemployment 1.3% vs 8.0% — 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 $259,400 in 67017 versus $173,500 in 67144, with median rent of $992 and $1,125 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.3% vs 81.6%. 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.