ZIP 60178 vs ZIP 60112

This side-by-side compares ZIP 60178 (Sycamore, IL) and ZIP 60112 (Cortland, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both, no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 60178 has a population of 21,840 at 122 people per square mile, while ZIP 60112 has 4,560 at 476 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 60178 reports a median household income of $92,913 against $72,831 in ZIP 60112, with per-capita income of $46,128 vs $32,908. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 46.8% in 60178 and 26.6% in 60112. Poverty rate reads 7.2% vs 6.9%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 8.1% - 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 $279,500 in 60178 versus $229,900 in 60112, with median rent of $1,166 and $1,552 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.9% vs 78.6%. 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.