ZIP 85254 vs ZIP 85255

This side-by-side compares ZIP 85254 (Scottsdale, AZ) and ZIP 85255 (Scottsdale, AZ) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 85254 has a population of 45,801 at 1,297 people per square mile, while ZIP 85255 has 37,270 at 164 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 85254 reports a median household income of $123,203 against $140,616 in ZIP 85255, with per-capita income of $73,615 vs $102,023. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 62.4% in 85254 and 66.9% in 85255. Poverty rate reads 4.9% vs 6.9%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 3.9% — 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 $785,700 in 85254 versus $1,036,800 in 85255, with median rent of $2,156 and $2,483 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.0% vs 73.1%. 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.