ZIP 98801 vs ZIP 98836

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98801 (Wenatchee, WA) and ZIP 98836 (Monitor, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98801 has a population of 40,977 at 97 people per square mile, while ZIP 98836 has 584 at 30 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 98801 reports a median household income of $81,488 against — in ZIP 98836, with per-capita income of $42,268 vs $35,975. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 30.6% in 98801 and 9.1% in 98836. Poverty rate reads 9.1% vs 0.0%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 13.4% — 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 $461,200 in 98801 versus $380,100 in 98836, with median rent of $1,265 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 58.8% vs 100.0%. 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.