ZIP 99136 vs ZIP 99143

This side-by-side compares ZIP 99136 (Hay, WA) and ZIP 99143 (Lacrosse, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 99136 has a population of 29 at 1 people per square mile, while ZIP 99143 has 650 at 1 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 99136 reports a median household income of $87,708 against $38,214 in ZIP 99143, with per-capita income of $53,479 vs $37,459. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 99136 and 35.3% in 99143. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 12.4%, and unemployment — vs 1.1% — 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 — in 99136 versus $123,600 in 99143, with median rent of — and $658 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 100.0% vs 84.8%. 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.