ZIP 62959 vs ZIP 62948

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62959 (Marion, IL) and ZIP 62948 (Herrin, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62959 has a population of 26,948 at 77 people per square mile, while ZIP 62948 has 12,865 at 265 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 62959 reports a median household income of $71,063 against $60,975 in ZIP 62948, with per-capita income of $38,576 vs $35,816. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 26.9% in 62959 and 22.6% in 62948. Poverty rate reads 13.9% vs 13.9%, and unemployment 3.6% vs 6.1% — 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 $174,800 in 62959 versus $116,700 in 62948, with median rent of $925 and $1,000 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.0% vs 66.3%. 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.