ZIP 99354 vs ZIP 99353

This side-by-side compares ZIP 99354 (Richland, WA) and ZIP 99353 (West Richland, WA) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 99354 has a population of 21,343 at 406 people per square mile, while ZIP 99353 has 13,306 at 197 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 99354 reports a median household income of $91,933 against $121,845 in ZIP 99353, with per-capita income of $46,728 vs $45,797. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 43.0% in 99354 and 39.1% in 99353. Poverty rate reads 8.5% vs 8.0%, and unemployment 6.1% vs 4.5% — 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 $392,600 in 99354 versus $450,500 in 99353, with median rent of $1,371 and $1,546 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 60.1% vs 83.9%. 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.