ZIP 62837 vs ZIP 62895

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62837 (Fairfield, IL) and ZIP 62895 (Wayne City, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62837 has a population of 8,867 at 21 people per square mile, while ZIP 62895 has 2,022 at 8 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 62837 reports a median household income of $50,536 against $51,131 in ZIP 62895, with per-capita income of $35,654 vs $30,589. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 15.0% in 62837 and 18.4% in 62895. Poverty rate reads 15.6% vs 11.8%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 1.9% — 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 $103,900 in 62837 versus $117,800 in 62895, with median rent of $603 and $688 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.8% vs 79.3%. 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.