ZIP 61016 vs ZIP 61112

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61016 (Cherry Valley, IL) and ZIP 61112 (Rockford, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61016 has a population of 4,837 at 66 people per square mile, while ZIP 61112 has 86 at 43 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 61016 reports a median household income of $84,883 against $40,563 in ZIP 61112, with per-capita income of $47,198 vs $22,260. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 29.8% in 61016 and 11.2% in 61112. Poverty rate reads 5.4% vs 16.1%, and unemployment 5.6% vs — — 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 $231,200 in 61016 versus — in 61112, with median rent of $1,021 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 89.7% vs 0.0%. 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.