ZIP 28716 vs ZIP 28786

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28716 (Canton, NC) and ZIP 28786 (Waynesville, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28716 has a population of 17,477 at 43 people per square mile, while ZIP 28786 has 20,714 at 108 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 28716 reports a median household income of $63,141 against $59,371 in ZIP 28786, with per-capita income of $34,474 vs $37,262. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 23.1% in 28716 and 31.4% in 28786. Poverty rate reads 16.5% vs 12.5%, and unemployment 4.0% vs 4.4% — 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 $237,800 in 28716 versus $297,800 in 28786, with median rent of $988 and $1,081 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 76.4% vs 68.7%. 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.