ZIP 62887 vs ZIP 62862

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62887 (Springerton, IL) and ZIP 62862 (Mill Shoals, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62887 has a population of 295 at 5 people per square mile, while ZIP 62862 has 364 at 5 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 62887 reports a median household income of $29,135 against $59,125 in ZIP 62862, with per-capita income of $25,789 vs $40,332. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.2% in 62887 and 24.0% in 62862. Poverty rate reads 10.6% vs 9.4%, and unemployment 2.4% vs 3.5% — 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 $63,900 in 62887 versus $68,800 in 62862, with median rent of — and $823 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 84.3% vs 86.0%. 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.