ZIP 62998 vs ZIP 62905

This side-by-side compares ZIP 62998 (Wolf Lake, IL) and ZIP 62905 (Alto Pass, IL) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 62998 has a population of 419 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 62905 has 677 at 8 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 62998 reports a median household income of $56,300 against $52,875 in ZIP 62905, with per-capita income of $36,894 vs $25,898. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 36.6% in 62998 and 22.2% in 62905. Poverty rate reads 3.2% vs 7.3%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 4.7% — 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 — in 62998 versus $108,300 in 62905, with median rent of — and $729 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.0% vs 73.4%. 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.