ZIP 68852 vs ZIP 68844

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68852 (Litchfield, NE) and ZIP 68844 (Hazard, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68852 has a population of 565 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 68844 has 228 at 2 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 68852 reports a median household income of $76,250 against $67,303 in ZIP 68844, with per-capita income of $43,467 vs $31,029. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 27.2% in 68852 and 36.4% in 68844. Poverty rate reads 4.4% vs 6.1%, and unemployment 0.7% 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 $157,900 in 68852 versus $318,400 in 68844, with median rent of $579 and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 82.3% vs 91.7%. 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.