ZIP 60459 vs ZIP 60638

This side-by-side compares ZIP 60459 (Burbank, IL) and ZIP 60638 (Chicago, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 60459 has a population of 28,929 at 2,662 people per square mile, while ZIP 60638 has 55,026 at 1,913 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 60459 reports a median household income of $80,116 against $91,070 in ZIP 60638, with per-capita income of $31,395 vs $39,284. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.6% in 60459 and 25.1% in 60638. Poverty rate reads 12.9% vs 6.4%, and unemployment 7.1% vs 4.6% — 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 $275,700 in 60459 versus $299,100 in 60638, with median rent of $1,265 and $1,348 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 80.9% vs 79.8%. 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.