ZIP 99345 vs ZIP 97844

This side-by-side compares ZIP 99345 (Paterson, WA) and ZIP 97844 (Irrigon, OR) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 99345 has a population of 213 at 1 people per square mile, while ZIP 97844 has 3,806 at 35 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 99345 reports a median household income of $102,500 against $76,090 in ZIP 97844, with per-capita income of $40,370 vs $29,077. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.7% in 99345 and 9.5% in 97844. Poverty rate reads 11.1% vs 10.8%, and unemployment 3.3% vs 5.8% — 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 $415,500 in 99345 versus $232,400 in 97844, with median rent of $488 and $880 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.1% vs 86.7%. 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.