ZIP 28006 vs ZIP 28080

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28006 (Alexis, NC) and ZIP 28080 (Iron Station, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28006 has a population of 1,130 at 81 people per square mile, while ZIP 28080 has 7,299 at 71 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 28006 reports a median household income of $51,932 against $71,997 in ZIP 28080, with per-capita income of $25,862 vs $34,895. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 19.4% in 28006 and 20.7% in 28080. Poverty rate reads 5.6% vs 4.0%, and unemployment 3.8% vs 3.5% — 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 $234,600 in 28006 versus $268,500 in 28080, with median rent of — and $1,147 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.4% vs 88.1%. 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.