ZIP 92009 vs ZIP 92024

This side-by-side compares ZIP 92009 (Carlsbad, CA) and ZIP 92024 (Encinitas, CA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 92009 has a population of 40,747 at 1,236 people per square mile, while ZIP 92024 has 49,121 at 1,124 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 92009 reports a median household income of $164,182 against $158,507 in ZIP 92024, with per-capita income of $80,506 vs $84,032. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 65.9% in 92009 and 66.8% in 92024. Poverty rate reads 5.6% vs 5.8%, and unemployment 4.8% vs 4.8% — 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 $1,368,100 in 92009 versus $1,612,000 in 92024, with median rent of $3,007 and $2,795 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.3% vs 67.4%. 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.