ZIP 97396 vs ZIP 97378

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97396 (Willamina, OR) and ZIP 97378 (Sheridan, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97396 has a population of 3,154 at 24 people per square mile, while ZIP 97378 has 8,882 at 30 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 97396 reports a median household income of $57,614 against $79,746 in ZIP 97378, with per-capita income of $33,806 vs $32,551. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.9% in 97396 and 15.8% in 97378. Poverty rate reads 5.4% vs 9.4%, and unemployment 5.0% vs 7.1% — 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 $351,000 in 97396 versus $372,600 in 97378, with median rent of $1,149 and $1,226 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.0% vs 69.3%. 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.