Lena, IL · standard

ZIP Code 61048

Stephenson County, Illinois - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

4,360
20/sq mi
$82,875
Median income
$166,600
Median home value
24.1%
Bachelor's or higher

National ZIP placement

Lena pairs an above-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 35%
household income, US ZIPs
33rd pct
home value, US ZIPs
20
people per sq mi
83%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 61048 against every reporting US ZIP.

FHFA HPI release change

What changed in the latest House Price Index year

2023 -> 2024
  • FHFA House Price Index values in ZIP 61048 (Lena, IL) rose +5.3% from 2023 to 2024. The all-transactions index moved from 153.7 in 2023 to 161.8 in 2024 (2000 = 100).

Arithmetic difference between stored FHFA all-transactions ZIP House Price Index annual values - a developmental index from repeat sales and appraisals, not a transaction median, appraisal opinion, or forecast. Thin markets can move sharply.

National HPI changes Year-pair CSV

ZIP code 61048 covers 215.8 square miles in Lena, Stephenson County, Illinois (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 4,360 residents on file, a density of 20 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.

ZIP 61048 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $82,875 (4% above the average Illinois ZIP), while per-capita income is $42,107. Both reported hardship measures are comparatively low in absolute terms: poverty is 3.0% and unemployment is 2.3%. Median home value is $166,600 (13% below the average Illinois ZIP) and median rent is $664; 82.8% of occupied homes are owner-occupied.

Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 24.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 47.2, and the average commute is 26 minutes. The page also surfaces 6 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Stephenson County, so 61048 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.

Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →

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Top industries in ZIP 61048

Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Lena, IL

Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 61048.

establishments

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 61048, Lena, IL · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

4,360

Population

215.8

Area (sq mi)

20

People / sq mi

Chicago

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 61048?

47.2

Median Age

50.5%

Male

49.5%

Female

0.5%

Foreign-Born

White 95.9%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 3.4%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$82,875

Median Household Income

+4% vs state ZIP avg

$42,107

Per Capita Income

3.0%

Poverty Rate

2.3%

Unemployment Rate

25.7 min

Mean Commute Time

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 55.3%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 24.1%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

1,768

Total Housing Units

1,641

Occupied Units

127

Vacant Units

2.27

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 82.8%
Renter 17.2%

$166,600

Median Home Value

-13% vs state ZIP avg

$664

Median Rent

1973

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals

+5.3%

YoY Change (2024)

162

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+62%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 61048 have increased 5.3% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +62% cumulative appreciation.

Year Annual Change HPI Index
2020 +10.2% 122
2021 +3.6% 126
2022 +40.9% 178
2023 -13.4% 154
2024 +5.3% 162

Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 132 business establishments in ZIP 61048, employing approximately 1,304 people with a combined annual payroll of $69,687,000.

132

Businesses

1,304

Employees

$69.7M

Annual Payroll

14

Industry Sectors

Industry Establishments % of Total
Construction 17 12.9%
Retail trade 17 12.9%
Other services (except public administration) 14 10.6%
Transportation and warehousing 13 9.8%
Manufacturing 11 8.3%
Professional, scientific, and technical services 9 6.8%
Accommodation and food services 9 6.8%
Wholesale trade 8 6.1%
Real estate and rental and leasing 8 6.1%
Finance and insurance 7 5.3%
Health care and social assistance 6 4.5%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 4 3.0%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation 4 3.0%
Information 3 2.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 61048 vs 61089 →

ZIP 61048 vs its nearest neighbors, by population

Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 61048 ranks the most populous - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 61048 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

median income

What this shows By household income, ZIP 61048 ranks the highest of 6 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
61089 Winslow, IL 867 6.3 mi
61027 Eleroy, IL 52 5.4 mi
61062 Pearl City, IL 1,983 9.0 mi
61044 Kent, IL 232 6.0 mi
61050 Mc Connell, IL 376 6.5 mi
61059 Nora, IL 141 7.2 mi

Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles

Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 61048, both outside IL so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).

Similar population

Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (4,360 here; floor ≥1,000).

Similar median household income

Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.

More ZIP Codes in Stephenson County

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 61048 in?
ZIP code 61048 (Lena) is located in Stephenson County, Illinois. Stephenson County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/stephenson-il.
What is the population of ZIP code 61048?
ZIP code 61048 in Lena, IL has a population of 4,360 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 61048?
The median household income in ZIP 61048 is $82,875, which is 9% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 61048?
The median home value in ZIP 61048 is $166,600, which is 40% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 61048?
The largest racial group in ZIP 61048 is White at 95.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 1.3% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 61048?
ZIP code 61048 has 132 business establishments employing approximately 1,304 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 61048?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 61048 are: Construction (17), Retail trade (17), Other services (except public administration) (14). There are 14 industry sectors represented in total.
How have home values changed in ZIP code 61048?
According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 61048 increased by 5.3% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 62%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
What is the education level in ZIP code 61048?
In ZIP code 61048, 55.3% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 24.1% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 61048?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 61048 is 25.7 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 61048?
In ZIP code 61048, approximately 82.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 17.2% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 61048?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 61048 is 3.0% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.

Related

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Read our methodology : how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.