ZIP 61012 vs ZIP 61065

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61012 (Capron, IL) and ZIP 61065 (Poplar Grove, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61012 has a population of 2,175 at 23 people per square mile, while ZIP 61065 has 11,156 at 84 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 61012 reports a median household income of $98,594 against $97,386 in ZIP 61065, with per-capita income of $34,543 vs $34,795. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.8% in 61012 and 26.3% in 61065. Poverty rate reads 6.3% vs 6.7%, and unemployment 18.9% vs 5.9% — 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 $172,000 in 61012 versus $217,300 in 61065, with median rent of $992 and $1,452 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.4% vs 92.6%. 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.