ZIP 61857 vs ZIP 61844

This side-by-side compares ZIP 61857 (Muncie, IL) and ZIP 61844 (Fithian, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 61857 has a population of 153 at 245 people per square mile, while ZIP 61844 has 970 at 7 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 61857 reports a median household income of $83,750 against $105,179 in ZIP 61844, with per-capita income of $39,708 vs $47,627. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.0% in 61857 and 25.4% in 61844. Poverty rate reads 4.9% vs 6.9%, and unemployment 4.3% vs 3.7% — 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 $76,500 in 61857 versus $153,400 in 61844, with median rent of — and $1,039 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 91.3% vs 89.0%. 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.