ZIP 97233 vs ZIP 97236

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97233 (Portland, OR) and ZIP 97236 (Portland, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97233 has a population of 39,367 at 3,362 people per square mile, while ZIP 97236 has 36,852 at 1,842 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 97233 reports a median household income of $60,198 against $75,090 in ZIP 97236, with per-capita income of $29,113 vs $33,339. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.9% in 97233 and 21.9% in 97236. Poverty rate reads 20.0% vs 15.3%, and unemployment 6.5% vs 7.7% — 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 $414,600 in 97233 versus $436,100 in 97236, with median rent of $1,400 and $1,635 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 47.0% vs 58.4%. 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.