Fairfield, NE · standard
ZIP Code 68938
Clay County, Nebraska - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 582
- 4/sq mi Low-density area
- $68,250
- Median income Near-median income area
- $150,800
- Median home value Below-median home value
- 17.4%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Fairfield pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 44th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 26th pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 4
- people per sq mi
- 80%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 68938 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 68938 is a sparsely populated ZIP (a standard USPS delivery area) in Fairfield, Clay County, Nebraska, home to just 582 residents across 149.2 square miles, a density of 4 people per square mile, in the Chicago time zone.
ZIP 68938 reports a modest median household income of $68,250 (11% below the average Nebraska ZIP), while per-capita income is $37,965. The poverty rate is 8.5%, with unemployment at 1.6%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $150,800 (19% below the average Nebraska ZIP), and median rent is $635; owner occupancy is 79.9%.
Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 17.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 38.2, and the average commute is 20 minutes. The page also surfaces 3 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Clay County, so 68938 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 →
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 68938, Fairfield, NE · 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
582
Population
149.2
Area (sq mi)
4
People / sq mi
Chicago
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 68938?
38.2
Median Age
51.5%
Male
48.5%
Female
0.0%
Foreign-Born
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?
$68,250
Median Household Income
-11% vs state ZIP avg
$37,965
Per Capita Income
8.5%
Poverty Rate
1.6%
Unemployment Rate
20.1 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 68938 ranks among Nebraska ZIPs
Fairfield, NE household income vs. every Nebraska ZIP code
Median household income among 556 reporting Nebraska ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$68,250 38th percentile higher than 38% of 556 Nebraska ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more Nebraska ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
295housing units
295
Total Housing Units
249
Occupied Units
46
Vacant Units
2.14
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$150,800
Median Home Value
-19% vs state ZIP avg
$635
Median Rent
1946
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 17 business establishments in ZIP 68938, employing approximately 89 people with a combined annual payroll of $4,158,000.
17
Businesses
89
Employees
$4.2M
Annual Payroll
2
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Wholesale trade | 5 | 29.4% |
| Accommodation and food services | 3 | 17.6% |
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 68938 vs 68934 →
ZIP 68938 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 68933
Clay Center (68933)
932 residents
- 68957
Lawrence (68957)
631 residents
- 68938
Fairfield (68938)
582 residents
- 68934 188
Deweese (68934)
188 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 68938 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 68938 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 68957
Lawrence (68957)
$109,900 median income
- 68933
Clay Center (68933)
$89,583 median income
- 68938
Fairfield (68938)
$68,250 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 68938 ranks #3 of 3 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 68938, both outside NE so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Clay County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 68938 in?
ZIP code 68938 (Fairfield) is located in Clay County, Nebraska. Clay County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/clay-ne.
What is the population of ZIP code 68938?
ZIP code 68938 in Fairfield, NE has a population of 582 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 68938?
The median household income in ZIP 68938 is $68,250, which is 11% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 68938?
The median home value in ZIP 68938 is $150,800, which is 46% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 68938?
The largest racial group in ZIP 68938 is White at 97.4%.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 68938?
ZIP code 68938 has 17 business establishments employing approximately 89 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What is the education level in ZIP code 68938?
In ZIP code 68938, 61.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 17.4% 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 68938?
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 68938 is 20.1 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 68938?
In ZIP code 68938, approximately 79.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 20.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 68938?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 68938 is 8.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 68938's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 68938 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Fairfield, NE ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.