ZIP 61243 vs ZIP 61071

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61243 (Deer Grove, IL) and ZIP 61071 (Rock Falls, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61243 has a population of 264 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 61071 has 14,381 at 78 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 61243 reports a median household income of $148,309 against $60,508 in ZIP 61071, with per-capita income of $62,448 vs $35,211. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 30.0% in 61243 and 15.9% in 61071. Poverty rate reads 2.6% vs 18.1%, and unemployment 6.9% vs 5.2% — 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 $172,700 in 61243 versus $102,300 in 61071, with median rent of — and $797 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.7% vs 75.8%. 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.