Apex, NC · standard
ZIP Code 27539
Wake County, North Carolina — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 18,692
- 229/sq mi
- $145,947
- Median income
- $565,600
- Median home value
- 64.0%
- Bachelor's or higher
The verdict
Apex pairs a top-decile household income with upper-quartile home values, in a low-density, homeowner-dominated area.
- Top 4%
- household income, US ZIPs
- Top 11%
- home value, US ZIPs
- 229
- people per sq mi
- 83%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 27539 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 27539 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 81.7 square miles in Apex, Wake County, North Carolina. The area is home to 18,692 residents, producing a population density of 229 people per square mile, and falls within the New York time zone. These USPS and Census boundary values drive every downstream statistic on this page, including the benchmarks that compare 27539 against North Carolina and the nation.
On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 27539 sits at $145,947 (111% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $58,937. The poverty rate stands at 2.5% and the unemployment rate at 4.2%. On housing, the median home value is $565,600 (118% above the state average) with median rent at $1,885 per month, and 83.1% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 27539 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.
Education and household profile round out the picture: 64.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 37.7, and the average commute is 28 minutes. We also surface 10 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Wake County, so you can benchmark 27539 against its immediate geography rather than a national average alone. Every figure is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, HUD Fair Market Rents, and FHFA Home Price Index data, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with HUD →
Top industries in ZIP 27539
Top 5 sectors by establishment count
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 27539.
- Professional, scientific, and technical services
Professional, scientific, and technical services
105 establishments
- Construction
Construction
99 establishments
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 41
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
41 establishments
- Other services (except public administration) 37
Other services (except public administration)
37 establishments
- Real estate and rental and leasing 31
Real estate and rental and leasing
31 establishments
What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + HUD FMR + FHFA HPI ACS demographics, ZBP business establishments, HUD Fair Market Rents, FHFA HPI for ZIP 27539, Apex, NC · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; HUD FMR + FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
18,692
Population
81.7
Area (sq mi)
229
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 27539?
37.7
Median Age
51.0%
Male
49.0%
Female
9.0%
Foreign-Born
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How much do residents earn?
$145,947
Median Household Income
+111% vs state
$58,937
Per Capita Income
2.5%
Poverty Rate
4.2%
Unemployment Rate
28.1 min
Mean Commute Time
How ZIP 27539 ranks nationally
Household income vs. every US ZIP code
Median household income — the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked
$145,947 Top 4% higher than 96% of 30,318 US ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What is the education profile here?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
9,068
Total Housing Units
8,709
Occupied Units
359
Vacant Units
2.97
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$565,600
Median Home Value
+118% vs state
$1,885
Median Rent
2004
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
How have home values changed over time?
FHFA House Price Index, annual appreciation data based on repeat sales and appraisals
+3.0%
YoY Change (2024)
270
HPI Index (2000 = 100)
+170%
Total Change Since 2000
Home values in ZIP 27539 have increased 3.0% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +170% cumulative appreciation.
| Year | Annual Change | HPI Index |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.9% | 169 |
| 2021 | +15.3% | 195 |
| 2022 | +23.9% | 241 |
| 2023 | +8.7% | 262 |
| 2024 | +3.0% | 270 |
Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index, All-Transactions, Five-Digit ZIP Codes (Developmental Index). Index base = 100 in year 2000. Data through 2024. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 482 business establishments in ZIP 27539, employing approximately 5,391 people with a combined annual payroll of $334,340,000.
482
Businesses
5,391
Employees
$334.3M
Annual Payroll
15
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 105 | 21.8% |
| Construction | 99 | 20.5% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 41 | 8.5% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 37 | 7.7% |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 31 | 6.4% |
| Health care and social assistance | 30 | 6.2% |
| Wholesale trade | 28 | 5.8% |
| Retail trade | 28 | 5.8% |
| Accommodation and food services | 18 | 3.7% |
| Manufacturing | 16 | 3.3% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 13 | 2.7% |
| Educational services | 11 | 2.3% |
| Arts, entertainment, and recreation | 10 | 2.1% |
| Information | 8 | 1.7% |
| Finance and insurance | 6 | 1.2% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 27539 vs 27518 →
ZIP 27539 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 27606
Raleigh (27606)
43,210 residents
- 27513
Cary (27513)
40,755 residents
- 27519
Cary (27519)
39,178 residents
- 27526
Fuquay Varina (27526)
38,894 residents
- 27511
Cary (27511)
32,029 residents
- 27502
Apex (27502)
30,831 residents
- 27540
Holly Springs (27540)
29,363 residents
- 27607
Raleigh (27607)
25,188 residents
- 27518
Cary (27518)
19,630 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 27539 ranks #0 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 27539 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 27519
Cary (27519)
$165,586 median income
- 27539
Apex (27539)
$145,947 median income
- 27502
Apex (27502)
$143,922 median income
- 27523
Apex (27523)
$135,625 median income
- 27540
Holly Springs (27540)
$128,989 median income
- 27518
Cary (27518)
$123,488 median income
- 27513
Cary (27513)
$121,989 median income
- 27526
Fuquay Varina (27526)
$110,017 median income
- 27511
Cary (27511)
$107,860 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 27539 ranks #2 of 9 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
| ZIP Code | City | Population | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27518 | Cary, NC | 19,630 | 4.3 mi |
| 27511 | Cary, NC | 32,029 | 6.2 mi |
| 27540 | Holly Springs, NC | 29,363 | 5.4 mi |
| 27513 | Cary, NC | 40,755 | 8.7 mi |
| 27502 | Apex, NC | 30,831 | 6.4 mi |
| 27526 | Fuquay Varina, NC | 38,894 | 9.4 mi |
| 27606 | Raleigh, NC | 43,210 | 7.0 mi |
| 27519 | Cary, NC | 39,178 | 9.9 mi |
| 27607 | Raleigh, NC | 25,188 | 10.7 mi |
| 27523 | Apex, NC | 9,552 | 10.5 mi |
More ZIP Codes in Wake County
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Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 27539 in? ▼
What is the population of ZIP code 27539? ▼
What is the median household income in ZIP 27539? ▼
What is the average home value in ZIP 27539? ▼
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 27539? ▼
How many businesses are in ZIP code 27539? ▼
What are the main industries in ZIP code 27539? ▼
How have home values changed in ZIP code 27539? ▼
What is the education level in ZIP code 27539? ▼
What is the average commute time in ZIP 27539? ▼
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 27539? ▼
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 27539? ▼
ZIP Code Research Guides
Official Data Resources for Apex, NC
Verify and explore additional data for this area using these official government sources.
Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.