ZIP 68305 vs ZIP 68421

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68305 (Auburn, NE) and ZIP 68421 (Peru, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both, no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68305 has a population of 4,389 at 12 people per square mile, while ZIP 68421 has 1,107 at 9 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 68305 reports a median household income of $57,906 against $61,600 in ZIP 68421, with per-capita income of $36,876 vs $26,040. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.8% in 68305 and 37.4% in 68421. Poverty rate reads 15.0% vs 18.0%, and unemployment 5.1% vs 10.8% - 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 $125,400 in 68305 versus $113,800 in 68421, with median rent of $792 and $478 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 55.3% vs 80.6%. 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.