ZIP 81138 vs ZIP 87524

This side-by-side compares ZIP 81138 (Jaroso, CO) and ZIP 87524 (Costilla, NM) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both, no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 81138 has a population of 56 at 1 people per square mile, while ZIP 87524 has 260 at 1 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 81138 reports a median household income of - against - in ZIP 87524, with per-capita income of - vs $26,740. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 81138 and 0.0% in 87524. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 7.8%, and unemployment - vs 0.0% - 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 - in 81138 versus - in 87524, with median rent of - and - per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 100.0%. 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.