ZIP 61036 vs ZIP 61075

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61036 (Galena, IL) and ZIP 61075 (Scales Mound, 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 61075 has 958 at 7 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 $75,547 in ZIP 61075, with per-capita income of $55,837 vs $39,157. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 43.8% in 61036 and 15.0% in 61075. Poverty rate reads 3.9% vs 6.0%, and unemployment 1.3% vs 4.1% — 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 $225,500 in 61075, with median rent of $831 and $831 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.6% vs 89.2%. 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.