ZIP 28345 vs ZIP 28351

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28345 (Hamlet, NC) and ZIP 28351 (Laurel Hill, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28345 has a population of 12,592 at 69 people per square mile, while ZIP 28351 has 4,759 at 32 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 28345 reports a median household income of $40,957 against $50,156 in ZIP 28351, with per-capita income of $23,733 vs $28,202. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 11.5% in 28345 and 13.5% in 28351. Poverty rate reads 25.3% vs 27.9%, and unemployment 6.8% vs 8.5% — 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 $97,600 in 28345 versus $88,200 in 28351, with median rent of $679 and $819 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 61.6% vs 73.0%. 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.