ZIP 62809 vs ZIP 62837

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62809 (Barnhill, IL) and ZIP 62837 (Fairfield, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62809 has a population of 142 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 62837 has 8,867 at 21 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 62809 reports a median household income of $43,900 against $50,536 in ZIP 62837, with per-capita income of $25,075 vs $35,654. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 16.6% in 62809 and 15.0% in 62837. Poverty rate reads 6.7% vs 15.6%, and unemployment 31.6% vs 2.4% — 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 $116,300 in 62809 versus $103,900 in 62837, with median rent of — and $603 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.5% vs 76.8%. 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.