ZIP 28731 vs ZIP 28726

This side-by-side compares ZIP 28731 (Flat Rock, NC) and ZIP 28726 (East Flat Rock, NC) using the same Census ACS 5-Year table fields for both — no averages swapped in, no national proxies. ZIP 28731 has a population of 7,778 at 111 people per square mile, while ZIP 28726 has 3,203 at 519 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 28731 reports a median household income of $66,309 against $54,152 in ZIP 28726, with per-capita income of $46,206 vs $22,937. The share of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher is 41.1% in 28731 and 9.1% in 28726. Poverty rate reads 14.0% vs 15.9%, and unemployment 6.1% vs 8.1% — 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 $402,300 in 28731 versus $198,400 in 28726, with median rent of $1,005 and $976 per month respectively. Homeownership rate is 85.6% vs 61.1%. 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.