ZIP 61469 vs ZIP 61480

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61469 (Oquawka, IL) and ZIP 61480 (Stronghurst, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61469 has a population of 2,184 at 19 people per square mile, while ZIP 61480 has 1,324 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 61469 reports a median household income of $54,932 against $58,750 in ZIP 61480, with per-capita income of $31,220 vs $32,275. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 17.6% in 61469 and 24.0% in 61480. Poverty rate reads 12.3% vs 18.1%, and unemployment 16.0% vs 6.5% — 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 $105,400 in 61469 versus $117,600 in 61480, with median rent of $445 and $894 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.0% vs 75.0%. 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.