ZIP 61006 vs ZIP 61031

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61006 (Ashton, IL) and ZIP 61031 (Franklin Grove, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61006 has a population of 1,759 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 61031 has 1,656 at 14 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 61006 reports a median household income of $75,938 against $75,446 in ZIP 61031, with per-capita income of $38,883 vs $35,828. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.2% in 61006 and 28.2% in 61031. Poverty rate reads 8.8% vs 8.2%, and unemployment 7.5% vs 0.8% — 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 $155,500 in 61006 versus $136,700 in 61031, with median rent of $874 and $823 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.0% vs 77.4%. 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.