ZIP 62002 vs ZIP 62018

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62002 (Alton, IL) and ZIP 62018 (Cottage Hills, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62002 has a population of 32,704 at 301 people per square mile, while ZIP 62018 has 3,604 at 438 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 62002 reports a median household income of $61,414 against $40,438 in ZIP 62018, with per-capita income of $33,829 vs $20,073. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.1% in 62002 and 3.3% in 62018. Poverty rate reads 17.8% vs 30.8%, and unemployment 4.9% vs 9.0% — 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 $118,900 in 62002 versus $70,200 in 62018, with median rent of $1,006 and $1,052 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 65.7% vs 67.0%. 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.