ZIP 98351 vs ZIP 98349

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98351 (Longbranch, WA) and ZIP 98349 (Lakebay, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98351 has a population of 1,115 at 50 people per square mile, while ZIP 98349 has 4,614 at 84 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 98351 reports a median household income of $151,660 against $75,875 in ZIP 98349, with per-capita income of $61,925 vs $52,232. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.7% in 98351 and 24.5% in 98349. Poverty rate reads 36.7% vs 5.2%, and unemployment 0.8% vs 4.1% — 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 $752,100 in 98351 versus $370,200 in 98349, with median rent of — and $1,607 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.2% vs 87.4%. 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.