ZIP 97480 vs ZIP 97453

This side-by-side compares ZIP 97480 (Swisshome, OR) and ZIP 97453 (Mapleton, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 97480 has a population of 379 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 97453 has 897 at 3 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 97480 reports a median household income of $67,045 against $56,417 in ZIP 97453, with per-capita income of $31,921 vs $29,662. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.1% in 97480 and 14.1% in 97453. Poverty rate reads 30.2% vs 22.9%, and unemployment 3.6% vs 4.5% — 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 $307,700 in 97480 versus $352,400 in 97453, with median rent of $941 and $1,088 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.3% vs 77.6%. 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.