ZIP 68701 vs ZIP 68748

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68701 (Norfolk, NE) and ZIP 68748 (Madison, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68701 has a population of 30,670 at 63 people per square mile, while ZIP 68748 has 3,260 at 7 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 68701 reports a median household income of $62,633 against $69,740 in ZIP 68748, with per-capita income of $36,979 vs $30,147. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 24.7% in 68701 and 17.5% in 68748. Poverty rate reads 13.1% vs 12.4%, and unemployment 2.6% vs 2.9% — 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 $214,500 in 68701 versus $148,800 in 68748, with median rent of $886 and $962 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 64.5% vs 77.6%. 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.