ZIP 61049 vs ZIP 60129

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61049 (Lindenwood, IL) and ZIP 60129 (Esmond, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61049 has a population of 585 at 11 people per square mile, while ZIP 60129 has 242 at 6 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 61049 reports a median household income of $91,607 against $117,750 in ZIP 60129, with per-capita income of $35,381 vs $50,772. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.3% in 61049 and 40.4% in 60129. Poverty rate reads 6.9% vs 1.3%, and unemployment 25.0% vs 5.4% — 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 $177,800 in 61049 versus $187,500 in 60129, with median rent of $1,014 and $695 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 73.3% vs 83.1%. 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.