PlainZIP

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
$63,170
Median income
$192,300
Median home value
13.9%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Sunbury pairs a below-median household income with below-median home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

35th pct
household income, US ZIPs
41th 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 North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $32,493. Poverty here runs at 9.0%, with unemployment measured at 3.2%. Median home value sits at $192,300 (26% below the state average), median rent at - a month, and owner-occupancy at 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 -. A geography-based comparison follows: 4 ZIP codes within about 10 miles of 27979, plus 5 more within Gates County, give a clearer read than the national average alone.

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.

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 · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

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

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 27979?

54.6

Median Age

43.8%

Male

56.2%

Female

1.2%

Foreign-Born

White 83.9%
African American 9.8%
Asian 0.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%

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

$32,493

Per Capita Income

9.0%

Poverty Rate

3.2%

Unemployment Rate

How ZIP 27979 ranks nationally

Sunbury, NC household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$63,170 35th percentile higher than 35% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

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?

High School Graduate or Higher 66.7%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 13.9%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

567

Total Housing Units

459

Occupied Units

108

Vacant Units

2.53

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 89.5%
Renter 10.5%

$192,300

Median Home Value

-26% vs state

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.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 27979 ranks #3 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 27979 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
27946 Hobbsville, NC 1,207 6.2 mi
27926 Corapeake, NC 1,915 5.9 mi
27919 Belvidere, NC 1,130 9.5 mi
23438 Suffolk, VA 1,818 12.3 mi

More ZIP Codes in Gates County

27937 standard
Gates, NC
Pop: 4,333
27926 standard
Corapeake, NC
Pop: 1,915
27935 standard
Eure, NC
Pop: 1,698
27938 standard
Gatesville, NC
Pop: 1,505
27946 standard
Hobbsville, NC
Pop: 1,207

Related Areas

Gates County Sunbury, NC North Carolina

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.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.