ZIP 98297 vs ZIP 98243

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98297 (Waldron, WA) and ZIP 98243 (Deer Harbor, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98297 has a population of 106 at 9 people per square mile, while ZIP 98243 has 507 at 38 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 98297 reports a median household income of $45,625 against $139,167 in ZIP 98243, with per-capita income of $62,998 vs $89,368. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 70.2% in 98297 and 72.1% in 98243. Poverty rate reads 6.4% vs 3.7%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 0.0% — 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 $405,600 in 98297 versus $1,094,800 in 98243, with median rent of — and $1,125 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 95.1% vs 66.7%. 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.