ZIP 61068 vs ZIP 61010

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61068 (Rochelle, IL) and ZIP 61010 (Byron, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61068 has a population of 14,858 at 49 people per square mile, while ZIP 61010 has 8,032 at 80 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 61068 reports a median household income of $73,214 against $93,613 in ZIP 61010, with per-capita income of $35,487 vs $43,618. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.2% in 61068 and 34.6% in 61010. Poverty rate reads 7.4% vs 6.8%, and unemployment 7.1% vs 3.1% — 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 $171,300 in 61068 versus $235,000 in 61010, with median rent of $999 and $951 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.1% vs 81.8%. 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.