ZIP 97017 vs ZIP 97004

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97017 (Colton, OR) and ZIP 97004 (Beavercreek, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97017 has a population of 2,922 at 26 people per square mile, while ZIP 97004 has 4,388 at 39 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 97017 reports a median household income of $83,355 against $112,667 in ZIP 97004, with per-capita income of $35,252 vs $51,334. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.9% in 97017 and 28.1% in 97004. Poverty rate reads 21.3% vs 6.8%, and unemployment 1.0% vs 2.6% — 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 $610,300 in 97017 versus $721,300 in 97004, with median rent of $1,375 and $1,342 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.5% vs 92.0%. 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.