ZIP 28001 vs ZIP 28127

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28001 (Albemarle, NC) and ZIP 28127 (New London, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28001 has a population of 26,760 at 78 people per square mile, while ZIP 28127 has 7,594 at 42 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 28001 reports a median household income of $54,804 against $69,125 in ZIP 28127, with per-capita income of $30,425 vs $37,738. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.8% in 28001 and 16.3% in 28127. Poverty rate reads 18.8% vs 14.8%, and unemployment 5.0% vs 4.1% — 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 $215,400 in 28001 versus $255,800 in 28127, with median rent of $858 and $781 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 66.7% vs 84.3%. 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.