ZIP 60087 vs ZIP 60085

This side-by-side compares ZIP 60087 (Waukegan, IL) and ZIP 60085 (Waukegan, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 60087 has a population of 26,978 at 778 people per square mile, while ZIP 60085 has 71,714 at 1,842 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 60087 reports a median household income of $76,738 against $66,793 in ZIP 60085, with per-capita income of $34,604 vs $29,337. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.6% in 60087 and 18.5% in 60085. Poverty rate reads 11.7% vs 16.5%, and unemployment 7.9% vs 6.1% — 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 $206,600 in 60087 versus $177,400 in 60085, with median rent of $1,356 and $1,161 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 59.9% vs 48.2%. 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.