The Washington Post has a map where you can input your ZIP code and find out what percentile your ZIP ranks for income and college education. The link to the application is here:
Washington: A world apart | The Washington Post
Cool! It tells you at a glance how prosperous a section of town is.
However, as others have noted, a Zip code may encompass a large swath of land covering many subdivisions, and there may be a large disparity within it. I looked at some and found some very interesting statistics. For example, I compare Zip A, which is a part of a well-known well-to-do town inside my metropolitan area, and Zip B which is a smaller Zip code near where I live.
Zip A: Score 97, Median Income $117K, College graduate 68%
Zip B: Score 97, Median Income $121K, College graduate 65%
I would not think Zip B would score as high as Zip A. But then Zip B is a small and more uniform area, so scores high although driving by it one would not be so impressed as with Zip A. Most people do not even know about this little area.
So, I looked at Zillow, and it gives another reason why Zip A looks more impressive. Most expensive home for sale in Zip A: $30M. Most expensive home for sale in Zip B: $6.7M. It's the most expensive homes in an area that attracts attention, and gives an area its reputation.
PS. Similarly, if one were to show average income rather than media income, I am willing to bet Zip A would pull ahead by a big margin. When a town has a billionaire or two, it drives up the average by a huge amount. And everyone would hear about where that billionaire took residence.
