ZIP 62262 vs ZIP 62284

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62262 (Mulberry Grove, IL) and ZIP 62284 (Smithboro, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62262 has a population of 1,810 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 62284 has 636 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 62262 reports a median household income of $65,089 against $51,875 in ZIP 62284, with per-capita income of $32,614 vs $24,326. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 14.0% in 62262 and 4.4% in 62284. Poverty rate reads 10.4% vs 9.3%, and unemployment 3.0% vs 4.0% — 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 $123,800 in 62262 versus $154,300 in 62284, with median rent of $1,067 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 83.2% vs 87.0%. 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.