ZIP 98220 vs ZIP 98284

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98220 (Acme, WA) and ZIP 98284 (Sedro Woolley, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98220 has a population of 634 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 98284 has 24,331 at 33 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 98220 reports a median household income of $92,266 against $93,006 in ZIP 98284, with per-capita income of $38,479 vs $42,294. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.7% in 98220 and 21.2% in 98284. Poverty rate reads 10.4% vs 11.7%, and unemployment 0.0% 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 $368,800 in 98220 versus $482,500 in 98284, with median rent of — and $1,556 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.4% vs 73.0%. 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.