ZIP 98028 vs ZIP 98011

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98028 (Kenmore, WA) and ZIP 98011 (Bothell, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98028 has a population of 20,419 at 1,399 people per square mile, while ZIP 98011 has 29,212 at 1,375 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 98028 reports a median household income of $139,764 against $131,667 in ZIP 98011, with per-capita income of $74,324 vs $70,138. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 61.8% in 98028 and 60.5% in 98011. Poverty rate reads 5.7% vs 4.6%, and unemployment 3.8% vs 3.9% — 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 $920,800 in 98028 versus $933,000 in 98011, with median rent of $1,949 and $2,294 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 69.3% vs 57.9%. 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.