ZIP 60050 vs ZIP 60012

This side-by-side compares ZIP 60050 (Mchenry, IL) and ZIP 60012 (Crystal Lake, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 60050 has a population of 31,620 at 436 people per square mile, while ZIP 60012 has 11,120 at 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 60050 reports a median household income of $88,812 against $159,375 in ZIP 60012, with per-capita income of $45,331 vs $67,189. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 25.3% in 60050 and 58.7% in 60012. Poverty rate reads 5.5% vs 5.5%, and unemployment 3.0% 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 $263,700 in 60050 versus $417,300 in 60012, with median rent of $1,563 and $1,667 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.3% vs 96.8%. 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.