ZIP 62946 vs ZIP 62965

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62946 (Harrisburg, IL) and ZIP 62965 (Muddy, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62946 has a population of 12,930 at 36 people per square mile, while ZIP 62965 has 125 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 62946 reports a median household income of $51,566 against — in ZIP 62965, with per-capita income of $32,233 vs $29,073. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.5% in 62946 and 14.8% in 62965. Poverty rate reads 23.2% vs 40.5%, and unemployment 8.1% vs 28.6% — 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 $97,300 in 62946 versus — in 62965, with median rent of $777 and $531 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 68.6% vs 68.6%. 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.