ZIP 98034 vs ZIP 98011

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98034 (Kirkland, 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 98034 has a population of 40,407 at 1,722 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 98034 reports a median household income of $135,219 against $131,667 in ZIP 98011, with per-capita income of $80,426 vs $70,138. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 60.5% in 98034 and 60.5% in 98011. Poverty rate reads 5.9% vs 4.6%, and unemployment 4.6% 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 $946,300 in 98034 versus $933,000 in 98011, with median rent of $2,376 and $2,294 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.2% 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.