ZIP 62849 vs ZIP 62899

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62849 (Iuka, IL) and ZIP 62899 (Xenia, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62849 has a population of 2,205 at 8 people per square mile, while ZIP 62899 has 1,612 at 6 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 62849 reports a median household income of $60,789 against $55,482 in ZIP 62899, with per-capita income of $30,056 vs $22,352. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.5% in 62849 and 9.0% in 62899. Poverty rate reads 11.7% vs 19.4%, and unemployment 6.2% vs 3.4% — 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 $87,800 in 62849 versus $147,800 in 62899, with median rent of $678 and $494 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 90.1% vs 75.1%. 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.