ZIP 68343 vs ZIP 68405

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68343 (Dorchester, NE) and ZIP 68405 (Milford, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68343 has a population of 1,050 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 68405 has 3,257 at 16 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 68343 reports a median household income of $74,554 against $75,250 in ZIP 68405, with per-capita income of $39,071 vs $36,613. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.9% in 68343 and 26.6% in 68405. Poverty rate reads 7.3% vs 6.6%, and unemployment 1.2% vs 4.1% — 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 $173,400 in 68343 versus $244,600 in 68405, with median rent of $619 and $890 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.6% vs 65.0%. 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.