ZIP 98612 vs ZIP 98647

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98612 (Cathlamet, WA) and ZIP 98647 (Skamokawa, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98612 has a population of 2,704 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 98647 has 404 at 3 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 98612 reports a median household income of $59,583 against — in ZIP 98647, with per-capita income of $35,368 vs $23,289. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.1% in 98612 and 15.2% in 98647. Poverty rate reads 17.9% vs 29.3%, and unemployment 3.2% 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 $429,600 in 98612 versus $259,200 in 98647, with median rent of $790 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 81.7% vs 92.1%. 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.