ZIP 62812 vs ZIP 62896

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62812 (Benton, IL) and ZIP 62896 (West Frankfort, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62812 has a population of 11,265 at 46 people per square mile, while ZIP 62896 has 12,626 at 76 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 62812 reports a median household income of $60,539 against $55,458 in ZIP 62896, with per-capita income of $32,732 vs $29,640. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 18.6% in 62812 and 13.4% in 62896. Poverty rate reads 14.3% vs 23.4%, and unemployment 4.3% vs 11.2% — 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 $101,100 in 62812 versus $88,900 in 62896, with median rent of $843 and $681 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 69.7% vs 72.4%. 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.