ZIP 68654 vs ZIP 68846

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68654 (Polk, NE) and ZIP 68846 (Hordville, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68654 has a population of 541 at 4 people per square mile, while ZIP 68846 has 296 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 68654 reports a median household income of $64,643 against $68,333 in ZIP 68846, with per-capita income of $35,767 vs $40,529. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 13.4% in 68654 and 6.9% in 68846. Poverty rate reads 10.9% vs 2.8%, and unemployment 1.6% vs 0.0% — 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 $115,700 in 68654 versus $95,800 in 68846, with median rent of $725 and $850 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.0% vs 86.3%. 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.