ZIP 80215 vs ZIP 80033

This side-by-side compares ZIP 80215 (Denver, CO) and ZIP 80033 (Wheat Ridge, CO) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 80215 has a population of 17,843 at 1,239 people per square mile, while ZIP 80033 has 23,969 at 1,117 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 80215 reports a median household income of $85,190 against $89,627 in ZIP 80033, with per-capita income of $53,944 vs $59,418. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 50.2% in 80215 and 46.9% in 80033. Poverty rate reads 9.9% vs 12.1%, and unemployment 6.5% vs 6.1% — 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 $650,100 in 80215 versus $609,800 in 80033, with median rent of $1,785 and $1,587 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 57.2% vs 51.6%. 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.