ZIP 28626 vs ZIP 28694

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28626 (Fleetwood, NC) and ZIP 28694 (West Jefferson, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28626 has a population of 2,714 at 32 people per square mile, while ZIP 28694 has 7,744 at 45 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 28626 reports a median household income of $73,675 against $58,486 in ZIP 28694, with per-capita income of $38,779 vs $36,615. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 43.1% in 28626 and 25.0% in 28694. Poverty rate reads 10.2% vs 9.6%, and unemployment 2.9% vs 7.8% — 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 $291,900 in 28626 versus $273,200 in 28694, with median rent of $1,270 and $818 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 92.2% vs 80.0%. 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.