ZIP 96720 vs ZIP 96740

This side-by-side compares ZIP 96720 (Hilo, HI) and ZIP 96740 (Kailua Kona, HI) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 96720 has a population of 46,165 at 60 people per square mile, while ZIP 96740 has 33,321 at 54 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 96720 reports a median household income of $80,938 against $95,542 in ZIP 96740, with per-capita income of $41,213 vs $47,557. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 34.3% in 96720 and 35.2% in 96740. Poverty rate reads 14.3% vs 12.6%, and unemployment 6.7% vs 4.1% — 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 $485,400 in 96720 versus $760,600 in 96740, with median rent of $1,428 and $1,673 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.5% vs 71.8%. 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.