ZIP 68982 vs ZIP 68969

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