ZIP 98926 vs ZIP 98934

This side-by-side compares ZIP 98926 (Ellensburg, WA) and ZIP 98934 (Kittitas, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 98926 has a population of 30,239 at 20 people per square mile, while ZIP 98934 has 1,117 at 508 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 98926 reports a median household income of $71,137 against $79,063 in ZIP 98934, with per-capita income of $38,594 vs $45,330. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 39.8% in 98926 and 19.9% in 98934. Poverty rate reads 16.9% vs 18.2%, and unemployment 7.2% vs 7.5% — 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 $470,300 in 98926 versus $319,900 in 98934, with median rent of $1,338 and $1,432 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 52.5% vs 75.2%. 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.