ZIP 61242 vs ZIP 61230

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61242 (Cordova, IL) and ZIP 61230 (Albany, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61242 has a population of 1,145 at 14 people per square mile, while ZIP 61230 has 1,232 at 25 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 61242 reports a median household income of $104,219 against $62,344 in ZIP 61230, with per-capita income of $55,288 vs $32,168. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 35.5% in 61242 and 15.5% in 61230. Poverty rate reads 4.7% vs 5.3%, and unemployment 3.6% 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 $218,100 in 61242 versus $138,600 in 61230, with median rent of $850 and $736 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.8% vs 89.3%. 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.