ZIP 68331 vs ZIP 68422

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68331 (Cortland, NE) and ZIP 68422 (Pickrell, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68331 has a population of 961 at 7 people per square mile, while ZIP 68422 has 513 at 4 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 68331 reports a median household income of $96,250 against $93,750 in ZIP 68422, with per-capita income of $44,453 vs $41,184. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 28.9% in 68331 and 31.5% in 68422. Poverty rate reads 10.3% vs 1.3%, and unemployment 0.4% 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 $313,900 in 68331 versus $338,300 in 68422, with median rent of $1,075 and $1,116 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 93.7% vs 85.2%. 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.