ZIP 28277 vs ZIP 28226

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28277 (Charlotte, NC) and ZIP 28226 (Charlotte, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28277 has a population of 59,664 at 984 people per square mile, while ZIP 28226 has 37,286 at 965 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 28277 reports a median household income of $128,627 against $118,606 in ZIP 28226, with per-capita income of $69,255 vs $77,844. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 68.1% in 28277 and 65.1% in 28226. Poverty rate reads 4.5% vs 4.3%, and unemployment 3.9% 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 $560,600 in 28277 versus $617,600 in 28226, with median rent of $1,882 and $1,622 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 60.9% vs 67.6%. 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.