ZIP 68019 vs ZIP 68045

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68019 (Craig, NE) and ZIP 68045 (Oakland, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68019 has a population of 550 at 3 people per square mile, while ZIP 68045 has 1,801 at 7 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 68019 reports a median household income of $57,656 against $75,893 in ZIP 68045, with per-capita income of $34,503 vs $33,057. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.1% in 68019 and 29.1% in 68045. Poverty rate reads 20.3% vs 8.8%, and unemployment 0.5% vs 0.4% — 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 $221,300 in 68019 versus $163,100 in 68045, with median rent of — and $747 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.0% vs 72.1%. 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.