ZIP 97216 vs ZIP 97266

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97216 (Portland, OR) and ZIP 97266 (Portland, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97216 has a population of 15,594 at 2,374 people per square mile, while ZIP 97266 has 33,300 at 2,128 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 97216 reports a median household income of $70,442 against $72,577 in ZIP 97266, with per-capita income of $38,820 vs $34,684. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 32.4% in 97216 and 28.3% in 97266. Poverty rate reads 17.3% vs 19.1%, and unemployment 4.8% vs 6.0% — 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 $450,800 in 97216 versus $445,700 in 97266, with median rent of $1,467 and $1,595 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 50.7% vs 54.1%. 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.