ZIP 60048 vs ZIP 60061

This side-by-side compares ZIP 60048 (Libertyville, IL) and ZIP 60061 (Vernon Hills, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 60048 has a population of 29,095 at 409 people per square mile, while ZIP 60061 has 25,748 at 1,248 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 60048 reports a median household income of $173,975 against $124,468 in ZIP 60061, with per-capita income of $85,758 vs $66,405. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 70.9% in 60048 and 67.6% in 60061. Poverty rate reads 4.3% vs 5.9%, and unemployment 3.4% vs 3.1% — 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 $551,200 in 60048 versus $416,700 in 60061, with median rent of $1,666 and $1,908 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.4% vs 68.2%. 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.