95521 ZIP Code, Arcata, CA

95521 is a ZIP code in Arcata, California in Humboldt County. It covers 60 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 95524, 95501 and 95503. 21,980 people live here in 9,225 households. With about 364 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (40% own). Median household income is $53,114, well below the California median of $99,122; the median age is 29.2, younger than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents21,980
Households9,225
Median household income$53,114
Income per person$33,368
Median age29.2
Homeowners40.2%
Median home value$501,000
Median rent$1,336
Bachelor's degree or higher46.4%
Average commute (minutes)17.9
Households with kids under 1819.8%
Moved in the past year24.7%
Below the poverty line24.4%
Broadband internet93.1%
Speak a non-English language at home11.0%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K11.0%
$10–15K4.7%
$15–25K8.9%
$25–35K10.6%
$35–50K12.7%
$50–75K16.2%
$75–100K10.0%
$100–150K10.2%
$150–200K9.1%
$200K+6.5%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<107.2%
10–1915.3%
20–2419.0%
25–3416.6%
35–4411.1%
45–547.4%
55–648.7%
65–749.5%
75+5.3%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage19.4%
Owned outright17.7%
Rented53.4%
Vacant9.4%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house50.7%
Townhome5.8%
2–4 units14.6%
5–19 units17.1%
20+ units6.1%
Mobile / other5.6%

Businesses in 95521

613 business establishments with 7,881 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

95521 has 17 USPS carrier routes with 9,391 residential and 850 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 95521

95521 has 17 USPS carrier routes (14 city (C), 2 rural (R), 1 highway contract (H)) with 9,391 residential and 850 business mailboxes. Routes range from 231 homes (H062) to 964 homes (C025); the median route has 583 homes. The Census counted 9,225 households in 95521 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2491
250–4995
500–74910
750–9991
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Best routes in 95521 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

  1. Route C008 — USPS business mailboxes 256, 477 homes
  2. Route C017 — USPS business mailboxes 163, 441 homes
  3. Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 112, 668 homes
  4. Route R002 — USPS business mailboxes 105, 336 homes
  5. Route C010 — USPS business mailboxes 72, 583 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 95521

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
C001City6256$77,925———
C002City668112$44,802———
C004City5216$81,642———
C006City6425$22,736———
C008City477256$44,802———
C010City58372$93,753———
C012City7062$87,500———
C013City59428$83,713———
C014City66750$26,531———
C016City6526$49,130———
C017City441163$44,802———
C023City3477$63,021———
C025City96413$44,802———
C026City3876$26,165———
H062Highway contract2310$84,416———
R002Rural336105$85,118———
R003Rural55013$63,021———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 95521 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

Areas that include 95521

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 95521

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 95521, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 95521 in?
95521 is a Arcata, CA mailing address. By land area, 15% lies inside Arcata and 1% lies inside Manila; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 95521 in?
95521 is in Humboldt County.
What is the population of 95521?
About 21,980 people (±626), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 21,581.
What is the median household income in 95521?
$53,114 (±$8,395), compared with $99,122 for California as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 95521?
17 USPS carrier routes with 9,391 residential and 850 business mailboxes (10,241 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 95521?
The closest, measured center to center: 95524 (1.6 mi, Indianola), 95501 (5.9 mi, Eureka), 95503 (8 mi, Pine Hills), 95519 (8.3 mi, McKinleyville), 95564 (9.1 mi, Samoa) and 95550 (11.8 mi).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.