ZIP 88032 vs ZIP 88005

This side-by-side compares ZIP 88032 (Dona Ana, NM) and ZIP 88005 (Las Cruces, NM) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 88032 has a population of 195 at 441 people per square mile, while ZIP 88005 has 27,116 at 213 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 88032 reports a median household income of — against $54,452 in ZIP 88005, with per-capita income of — vs $31,092. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is — in 88032 and 32.1% in 88005. Poverty rate reads — vs 23.3%, and unemployment — vs 9.5% — 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 88032 versus $220,800 in 88005, with median rent of — and $890 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is — vs 60.8%. 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.