Residential delivery area · North Carolina

ZIP Code 28098: Lowell, NC

ZIP code 28098 is in Lowell, North Carolina, entirely in Gaston County (Census 2020 ZIP-county file). About 3,900 people live there (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Median household income is $53,000 (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). By Census place, its land lies in Lowell (68%) and McAdenville (21%), and under 1% in smaller places; 11% is outside any Census place.

  • ACS2020-24
  • Census2020
  • FHFA2025
  • ZBP2023
  • IRS2022
2national area: North Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia
280sectional center: Charlotte, NC (SCF 282)
98delivery area within it
Town
Lowell · its only residential ZIP
Census places
Lowell (68%); McAdenville (21%)
Metro area
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
House district
NC-14 119th Congress
Time zone
Eastern
Land area
3.6 sq mi · 1,058 people per sq mi

Where is ZIP code 28098?

28098 centers on 35.271°, -81.101° and covers 3.6 square miles of land plus 0.1 of water. It borders 3 ZIP codes: 28101, 28054, 28056.

28054 · Gastonia28056 · Gastonia28101 · McAdenville28098 · Lowell (this ZIP)2809828056280542810128054 · Gastonia28056 · Gastonia28101 · McAdenville28098 · Lowell (this ZIP)2809828056280542810128054 · Gastonia28056 · Gastonia28101 · McAdenville28098 · Lowell (this ZIP)28098280562805428101
Shaded by median household income, in national fifths (ACS 2020-2024); 28098 outlined. Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries. <$54.1k$98.1k+no figure

The map draws ZIP code areas only. For the streets inside 28098, open its center on OpenStreetMap.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA cartographic boundaries and the 2023 Gazetteer (2020 ZCTAs); ZIP-to-county shares, Census places and House districts (119th Congress) from the Census 2020 relationship files (shares of land); metro area from the OMB delineation (July 2023); town name and time zone from simplemaps US ZIP Codes (CC BY 4.0).

How does 28098 compare with the rest of Gaston County?

Rank of 28098 among the residential ZIP codes of its town, county and state (1 = the most; income and home value among ZIP codes of 1,000+ people living in households)
Measure28098In Gaston CountyIn NC
People (ACS 2020-2024)3,85112th of 17476th of 853
Median household income$53knot rankednot ranked
Median home value$202knot rankednot ranked

28098's median household income is not ranked: its 90% margin of error (±$13,976) is more than a quarter of the figure ($53,000); 28098's median home value is not ranked: its 90% margin of error (±$75,838) is more than a quarter of the figure ($201,500). Rankings use ZIP codes of 1,000 or more people living in households, with margins at most 25% of the figure.

It is denser than 79% of U.S. residential ZIP codes. ZIP codes at the ACS caps ($250,000 or more for household income, $2,000,000 or more for home value) share the top rank.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B19013, B25077); ranks by PlainZIP over residential ZIP codes (ZCTAs).

How many people live in 28098?

The 2020 Census counted 3,868 people in 28098; the ACS, which samples households over 2020-2024, estimates 3,851. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew 8.1% (its boundary stayed at least 90% the same).

People, ACS 2020-2024
3,851
2020 Census count
3,868+8.1% since 2010 (3,579)
Households
1,768
Median age
40.3

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B01002, B11001); 2020 Census (DHC P1); 2010 Census (SF1 P1).

Who lives in 28098?

Of the 3,851 people the ACS estimates in 28098, 21.6% are under 18 and 16.9% are 65 or older. The largest group by race and Hispanic origin is White (not Hispanic) (70.8%), then Black (not Hispanic) (13.2%).

  • Under 1821.6%
  • 18 to 6461.6%
  • 65 and older16.9%
Age of the people of 28098 (ACS 2020-2024, B01001)
  • White, not Hispanic70.8%
  • Black, not Hispanic13.2%
  • Hispanic or Latino11.7%
  • Other or two or more3.7%
  • Asian, not Hispanic0.5%
Race and Hispanic origin in 28098 (ACS 2020-2024, B03002); each person counted once

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01001 age by sex, B03002 Hispanic or Latino origin by race); shares of the estimated population, small ZIP codes carry wide margins.

What do households in 28098 earn?

Median household income is $53,000 (ACS 2020-2024). It is not measurably different from 2015-2019 ($66,372 in 2024 dollars): the change is within the surveys' margins of error.

Median household income
$53,000±$13,976
Income per person
$39,270
Below the poverty line
17.4%
Unemployed (of the labor force)
1.9%
Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree
23.2%
Adjusted gross income per tax return, 2022
$63,0631,710 returns; wages 75% of AGI (IRS)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 and 2015-2019 5-year estimates (B19013, B19301, B17001, B23025, B15003; 2015-2019 dollars converted with the BLS CPI-U, 1.22699); IRS Statistics of Income, ZIP code data, tax year 2022 (adjusted gross income per return, filed under the address on the return).

What are homes worth in 28098?

FHFA's house price index for 28098, built from repeat sales and appraisals of the same homes, rose 137% from 2015 to 2025 and rose 57% from 2020 to 2025, and moved −2.3% in 2025.

Median home value (owners' estimate)
$201,500
Median gross rent
$1,603
Homes owned by their occupants
75.6%
Housing units
1,887
0 50 100 150 200 250 2001201020202025 0 50 100 150 200 250 2001201020202025 0 50 100 150 200 250 2001201020202025
Index = 100 in 2001, the first year FHFA reports for 28098; 2025: 257.7. Annual, not seasonally adjusted; FHFA calls its ZIP-level indexes developmental.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25077, B25064, B25003, B25001); FHFA House Price Index, annual five-digit ZIP, updated 2026-03-31.

What businesses are in 28098?

76 business establishments had a location in this ZIP code in 2023, 1 more than in 2018; the most are in other services (except public administration) (ZIP Code Business Patterns).

  • Other services (except public administration)19
  • Retail trade14
  • Construction13
  • Wholesale trade6
  • Accommodation and food services5
  • Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services4

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 and 2018 (establishments with paid employees, by the business's ZIP code).

Which ZIP codes are next to 28098?

ZIP codes that share a boundary with 28098, then the nearest by center
ZIPTownPeopleHousehold incomeDistance
28101McAdenville898$111k1.8 mi
28054Gastonia41,707$61k2.9 mi
28056Gastonia36,200$90k4.0 mi
28032Cramerton2,869$61k2.9 mi (near)
28012Belmont26,556$83k5.4 mi (near)
28120Mount Holly25,805$78k5.8 mi (near)
28034Dallas18,979$62k7.2 mi (near)
28214Charlotte43,837$86k7.5 mi (near)

Source: PlainZIP from the Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries (shared edges) and internal points; figures ACS 2020-2024.