ZIP 68969 vs ZIP 68982

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68969 (Ragan, NE) and ZIP 68982 (Wilcox, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68969 has a population of 38 at 10 people per square mile, while ZIP 68982 has 649 at 3 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 68969 reports a median household income of — against $66,250 in ZIP 68982, with per-capita income of — vs $32,813. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is — in 68969 and 33.7% in 68982. Poverty rate reads — vs 4.4%, and unemployment — vs 2.7% — 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 68969 versus $159,600 in 68982, with median rent of — and $671 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is — vs 69.3%. 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.