ZIP 28089 vs ZIP 28017

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28089 (Lattimore, NC) and ZIP 28017 (Boiling Springs, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28089 has a population of 248 at 386 people per square mile, while ZIP 28017 has 695 at 1,562 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 28089 reports a median household income of $75,000 against — in ZIP 28017, with per-capita income of $7,688 vs $6,487. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 33.3% in 28089 and — in 28017. Poverty rate reads 8.1% vs —, and unemployment 0.0% vs 18.5% — 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 $187,500 in 28089 versus — in 28017, with median rent of — and — per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 72.2% 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.