ZIP 61251 vs ZIP 61250

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61251 (Fenton, IL) and ZIP 61250 (Erie, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61251 has a population of 347 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 61250 has 2,737 at 12 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 61251 reports a median household income of $79,464 against $84,688 in ZIP 61250, with per-capita income of $32,686 vs $39,812. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 61251 and 24.4% in 61250. Poverty rate reads 8.5% vs 3.7%, and unemployment 10.0% vs 4.9% — 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 $190,900 in 61251 versus $167,700 in 61250, with median rent of — and $838 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.1% vs 80.8%. 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.