ZIP 68974 vs ZIP 68943

This side-by-side compares ZIP 68974 (Ruskin, NE) and ZIP 68943 (Hardy, NE) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 68974 has a population of 184 at 2 people per square mile, while ZIP 68943 has 269 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 68974 reports a median household income of $79,643 against $180,577 in ZIP 68943, with per-capita income of $53,184 vs $60,929. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 22.7% in 68974 and 28.7% in 68943. Poverty rate reads 9.2% vs 6.6%, 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 $92,000 in 68974 versus — in 68943, with median rent of — and $529 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 97.7% vs 69.1%. 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.