ZIP 62901 vs ZIP 62966

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62901 (Carbondale, IL) and ZIP 62966 (Murphysboro, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62901 has a population of 27,182 at 351 people per square mile, while ZIP 62966 has 15,607 at 53 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 62901 reports a median household income of $35,089 against $55,665 in ZIP 62966, with per-capita income of $23,836 vs $33,993. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 48.6% in 62901 and 26.9% in 62966. Poverty rate reads 33.9% vs 11.3%, and unemployment 9.9% vs 6.8% — 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 $146,600 in 62901 versus $142,200 in 62966, with median rent of $754 and $803 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 30.0% vs 64.3%. 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.