ZIP 68861 vs ZIP 68836

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68861 (Odessa, NE) and ZIP 68836 (Elm Creek, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68861 has a population of 118 at 124 people per square mile, while ZIP 68836 has 1,688 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 68861 reports a median household income of $39,792 against $86,806 in ZIP 68836, with per-capita income of $26,194 vs $37,691. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 8.7% in 68861 and 27.8% in 68836. Poverty rate reads 3.6% vs 8.7%, and unemployment 0.0% 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 $139,600 in 68861 versus $224,800 in 68836, with median rent of — and $805 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 86.7% vs 76.2%. 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.