ZIP 28470 vs ZIP 28469

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28470 (Shallotte, NC) and ZIP 28469 (Ocean Isle Beach, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28470 has a population of 10,644 at 86 people per square mile, while ZIP 28469 has 5,839 at 101 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 28470 reports a median household income of $65,030 against $90,684 in ZIP 28469, with per-capita income of $38,503 vs $50,043. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 20.3% in 28470 and 43.0% in 28469. Poverty rate reads 8.6% vs 6.7%, and unemployment 3.8% vs 2.3% — 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 $276,300 in 28470 versus $463,200 in 28469, with median rent of $1,088 and $950 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 75.0% vs 87.3%. 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.