ZIP 61451 vs ZIP 61489

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61451 (Laura, IL) and ZIP 61489 (Williamsfield, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61451 has a population of 393 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 61489 has 900 at 8 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 61451 reports a median household income of $44,167 against $98,125 in ZIP 61489, with per-capita income of $28,211 vs $49,509. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.5% in 61451 and 25.1% in 61489. Poverty rate reads 7.7% vs 3.4%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 2.5% — 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 $121,500 in 61451 versus $148,500 in 61489, with median rent of — and $642 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.2% vs 95.3%. 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.