ZIP 98002 vs ZIP 98001

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98002 (Auburn, WA) and ZIP 98001 (Auburn, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98002 has a population of 31,647 at 1,699 people per square mile, while ZIP 98001 has 31,911 at 662 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 98002 reports a median household income of $78,684 against $106,791 in ZIP 98001, with per-capita income of $35,810 vs $42,789. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.8% in 98002 and 27.0% in 98001. Poverty rate reads 12.0% vs 11.4%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 6.5% — 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 $421,300 in 98002 versus $587,400 in 98001, with median rent of $1,659 and $2,105 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 48.9% vs 73.9%. 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.