ZIP 68621 vs ZIP 68015

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68621 (Ames, NE) and ZIP 68015 (Cedar Bluffs, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68621 has a population of 517 at 6 people per square mile, while ZIP 68015 has 1,151 at 8 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 68621 reports a median household income of $93,235 against $85,357 in ZIP 68015, with per-capita income of $75,314 vs $46,025. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 0.0% in 68621 and 33.6% in 68015. Poverty rate reads 7.8% vs 11.5%, and unemployment 0.0% vs 3.9% — 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 — in 68621 versus $176,600 in 68015, with median rent of — and $1,056 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.5% vs 90.2%. 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.