ZIP 97322 vs ZIP 97355

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97322 (Albany, OR) and ZIP 97355 (Lebanon, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97322 has a population of 34,039 at 211 people per square mile, while ZIP 97355 has 28,613 at 53 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 97322 reports a median household income of $69,808 against $68,595 in ZIP 97355, with per-capita income of $33,735 vs $31,842. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.6% in 97322 and 18.9% in 97355. Poverty rate reads 15.0% vs 14.1%, and unemployment 5.7% vs 5.8% — 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 $352,900 in 97322 versus $371,700 in 97355, with median rent of $1,386 and $1,292 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 54.6% vs 68.3%. 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.