Sunbury, NC · standard
ZIP Code 27979
Gates County, North Carolina - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 1,719
- 9/sq mi Low-density area
- $63,170
- Median income Near-median income area
- $192,300
- Median home value Near-median home value
- 13.9%
- Bachelor's or higher Below-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Sunbury pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.
- 35th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 41st pct
- home value, US ZIPs
- 9
- people per sq mi
- 90%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 27979 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 27979 covers 186.8 square miles in Sunbury, Gates County, North Carolina (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 1,719 residents on file, a density of 9 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 27979 reports a modest median household income of $63,170 (9% below the average North Carolina ZIP), while per-capita income is $32,493. The poverty rate is 9.0%, with unemployment at 3.2%; those measures add context to the income figure. Home values sit below the statewide ZIP benchmark: the median is $192,300 (26% below the average North Carolina ZIP); owner occupancy is 89.5%.
Formal educational attainment runs low here: just 13.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 54.6, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 5 more in Gates County, so 27979 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →
Top industries in ZIP 27979
Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Sunbury, NC
Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 27979.
- Retail trade
Retail trade
8 establishments
- Other services (except public administration)
Other services (except public administration)
5 establishments
- Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 3
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services
3 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 + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 27979, Sunbury, NC · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.
Quick Facts
1,719
Population
186.8
Area (sq mi)
9
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 27979?
54.6
Median Age
43.8%
Male
56.2%
Female
1.2%
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?
$63,170
Median Household Income
-9% vs state ZIP avg
$32,493
Per Capita Income
9.0%
Poverty Rate
3.2%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 27979 ranks among North Carolina ZIPs
Sunbury, NC household income vs. every North Carolina ZIP code
Median household income among 749 reporting North Carolina ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$63,170 46th percentile higher than 46% of 749 North Carolina ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more North Carolina 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?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
567housing units
567
Total Housing Units
459
Occupied Units
108
Vacant Units
2.53
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$192,300
Median Home Value
-26% vs state ZIP avg
1977
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What businesses operate in this ZIP?
Census Bureau data shows 29 business establishments in ZIP 27979, employing approximately 149 people with a combined annual payroll of $7,612,000.
29
Businesses
149
Employees
$7.6M
Annual Payroll
3
Industry Sectors
| Industry | Establishments | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 8 | 27.6% |
| Other services (except public administration) | 5 | 17.2% |
| Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services | 3 | 10.3% |
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 27979 vs 27946 →
ZIP 27979 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 27926
Corapeake (27926)
1,915 residents
- 23438
Suffolk (23438)
1,818 residents
- 27979
Sunbury (27979)
1,719 residents
- 27946
Hobbsville (27946)
1,207 residents
- 27919
Belvidere (27919)
1,130 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 27979 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 27979 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 27919
Belvidere (27919)
$102,883 median income
- 23438
Suffolk (23438)
$93,750 median income
- 27946
Hobbsville (27946)
$74,421 median income
- 27979
Sunbury (27979)
$63,170 median income
- 27926
Corapeake (27926)
$57,333 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 27979 ranks #4 of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 27979, both outside NC so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (1,719 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Gates County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 27979 in?
ZIP code 27979 (Sunbury) is located in Gates County, North Carolina. Gates County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/gates-nc.
What is the population of ZIP code 27979?
ZIP code 27979 in Sunbury, NC has a population of 1,719 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 27979?
The median household income in ZIP 27979 is $63,170, which is 17% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 27979?
The median home value in ZIP 27979 is $192,300, which is 31% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 27979?
The largest racial group in ZIP 27979 is White at 83.9%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 0.6% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 27979?
ZIP code 27979 has 29 business establishments employing approximately 149 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 27979?
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 27979 are: Retail trade (8), Other services (except public administration) (5), Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (3). There are 3 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 27979?
In ZIP code 27979, 66.7% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 13.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 27979?
In ZIP code 27979, approximately 89.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 10.5% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 27979?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 27979 is 9.0% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 27979's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 27979 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Sunbury, NC ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.