ZIP 68066 vs ZIP 68003

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68066 (Wahoo, NE) and ZIP 68003 (Ashland, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68066 has a population of 5,640 at 24 people per square mile, while ZIP 68003 has 4,284 at 13 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 68066 reports a median household income of $101,438 against $95,709 in ZIP 68003, with per-capita income of $43,082 vs $48,184. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 35.9% in 68066 and 38.0% in 68003. Poverty rate reads 11.7% vs 4.2%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 2.2% — 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 $266,900 in 68066 versus $306,500 in 68003, with median rent of $901 and $866 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 71.1% vs 81.2%. 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.