ZIP 62438 vs ZIP 62422

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62438 (Lakewood, IL) and ZIP 62422 (Cowden, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62438 has a population of 433 at 6 people per square mile, while ZIP 62422 has 1,156 at 11 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 62438 reports a median household income of $71,786 against $75,074 in ZIP 62422, with per-capita income of $43,171 vs $30,403. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 39.7% in 62438 and 13.0% in 62422. Poverty rate reads 0.0% vs 14.6%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 4.7% — 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 $218,400 in 62438 versus $105,900 in 62422, with median rent of — and $720 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 90.0% vs 78.7%. 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.