ZIP 68409 vs ZIP 68048

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68409 (Murray, NE) and ZIP 68048 (Plattsmouth, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68409 has a population of 807 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 68048 has 12,422 at 50 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 68409 reports a median household income of $92,045 against $89,931 in ZIP 68048, with per-capita income of $45,338 vs $46,117. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 21.1% in 68409 and 31.2% in 68048. Poverty rate reads 4.2% vs 4.7%, and unemployment 3.5% vs 1.3% — 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 $220,800 in 68409 versus $261,600 in 68048, with median rent of $1,181 and $947 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 87.3% vs 84.0%. 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.