ZIP 78550 vs ZIP 78552

This side-by-side compares ZIP 78550 (Harlingen, TX) and ZIP 78552 (Harlingen, TX) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 78550 has a population of 53,152 at 215 people per square mile, while ZIP 78552 has 34,111 at 268 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 78550 reports a median household income of $49,007 against $69,811 in ZIP 78552, with per-capita income of $25,915 vs $29,015. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.0% in 78550 and 24.0% in 78552. Poverty rate reads 24.4% vs 21.6%, and unemployment 5.4% vs 5.4% — 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 $131,100 in 78550 versus $169,300 in 78552, with median rent of $900 and $1,113 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 50.5% vs 75.3%. 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.