ZIP 62036 vs ZIP 62013

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62036 (Golden Eagle, IL) and ZIP 62013 (Brussels, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62036 has a population of 704 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 62013 has 552 at 9 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 62036 reports a median household income of $103,409 against $72,750 in ZIP 62013, with per-capita income of $36,635 vs $25,555. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.0% in 62036 and 19.8% in 62013. Poverty rate reads 2.3% vs 16.4%, and unemployment 11.4% vs 2.0% — 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 $229,400 in 62036 versus $144,500 in 62013, with median rent of $563 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 90.6% vs 83.1%. 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.