ZIP 95602 vs ZIP 95722

This side-by-side compares ZIP 95602 (Auburn, CA) and ZIP 95722 (Meadow Vista, CA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 95602 has a population of 17,509 at 137 people per square mile, while ZIP 95722 has 4,585 at 162 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 95602 reports a median household income of $97,466 against $125,625 in ZIP 95722, with per-capita income of $55,831 vs $72,224. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.6% in 95602 and 45.5% in 95722. Poverty rate reads 8.1% vs 3.7%, and unemployment 3.2% vs 1.8% — 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 $688,500 in 95602 versus $697,800 in 95722, with median rent of $1,864 and $1,855 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.1% vs 91.2%. 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.