ZIP 68305 vs ZIP 68442

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68305 (Auburn, NE) and ZIP 68442 (Stella, 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 68442 has 313 at 3 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 $65,000 in ZIP 68442, with per-capita income of $36,876 vs $39,878. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.8% in 68305 and 25.3% in 68442. Poverty rate reads 15.0% vs 8.5%, and unemployment 5.1% vs 14.0% — 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 $127,100 in 68442, with median rent of $792 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 55.3% vs 87.3%. 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.