ZIP 61036 vs ZIP 61025

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61036 (Galena, IL) and ZIP 61025 (East Dubuque, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61036 has a population of 6,821 at 25 people per square mile, while ZIP 61025 has 4,867 at 54 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 61036 reports a median household income of $81,989 against $70,739 in ZIP 61025, with per-capita income of $55,837 vs $42,832. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 43.8% in 61036 and 18.9% in 61025. Poverty rate reads 3.9% vs 8.4%, and unemployment 1.3% 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 $279,000 in 61036 versus $197,800 in 61025, with median rent of $831 and $884 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.6% vs 84.4%. 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.