ZIP 45054 vs ZIP 45068

This side-by-side compares ZIP 45054 (Oregonia, OH) and ZIP 45068 (Waynesville, OH) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 45054 has a population of 2,471 at 31 people per square mile, while ZIP 45068 has 10,479 at 61 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 45054 reports a median household income of $99,583 against $96,147 in ZIP 45068, with per-capita income of $56,521 vs $55,212. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 34.7% in 45054 and 36.9% in 45068. Poverty rate reads 5.5% vs 7.5%, and unemployment 1.1% vs 4.9% — 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 $296,200 in 45054 versus $335,600 in 45068, with median rent of — and $1,323 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 94.9% vs 83.4%. 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.