Sunset Beach, NC · standard

ZIP Code 28468

Brunswick County, North Carolina — Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

Reviewed by PlainZIP Editorial Team, ZIP Code Data Editors · June 13, 2026

4,375
96/sq mi: $83,358
Median income: $412,000
Median home value: 40.6%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Sunset Beach pairs an above-median household income with upper-quartile home values, in a rural, homeowner-dominated area.

Top 34%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 20%
home value, US ZIPs: 96
people per sq mi: 87%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28468 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 28468 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 45.5 square miles in Sunset Beach, Brunswick County, North Carolina. The area is home to 4,375 residents, producing a population density of 96 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 28468 against North Carolina and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 28468 sits at $83,358 (21% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $54,289. The poverty rate stands at 7.5% and the unemployment rate at 2.1%. On housing, the median home value is $412,000 (59% above the state average) with median rent at $1,300 per month, and 87.4% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 28468 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 40.6% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 68, and the average commute is 22 minutes. We also surface 6 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Brunswick County, so you can benchmark 28468 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 28468

Retail trade

23
Construction

14
Real estate and rental and leasing

13
Accommodation and food services

12
Professional, scientific, and technical services

9

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 28468, Sunset Beach, NC · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-13 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

4,375

Population

45.5

Area (sq mi)

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 28468?

68.0

Median Age

44.6%

Male

55.4%

Female

3.2%

Foreign-Born

White 86.5%

African American 8.4%

Asian 0.5%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 4.0%

Hispanic or Latino 1.8%

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?

$83,358

Median Household Income

+21% vs state

$54,289

Per Capita Income

7.5%

Poverty Rate

2.1%

Unemployment Rate

21.6 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 28468 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$83,358 Top 34% higher than 66% 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?

High School Graduate or Higher 65.0%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 40.6%

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

What does housing look like?

5,707

Total Housing Units

2,642

Occupied Units

3,065

Vacant Units

1.95

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 87.4%

Renter 12.6%

$412,000

Median Home Value

+59% vs state

$1,300

Median Rent

1999

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

-16.1%

YoY Change (2024)

233

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+133%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 28468 have decreased 16.1% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +133% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+5.3%	158
2021	+10.7%	175
2022	+23.2%	216
2023	+28.4%	277
2024	-16.1%	233

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 105 business establishments in ZIP 28468, employing approximately 1,159 people with a combined annual payroll of $40,299,000.

105

Businesses

1,159

Employees

$40.3M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Retail trade	23	21.9%
Construction	14	13.3%
Real estate and rental and leasing	13	12.4%
Accommodation and food services	12	11.4%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	9	8.6%
Health care and social assistance	9	8.6%
Other services (except public administration)	5	4.8%
Wholesale trade	4	3.8%
Finance and insurance	4	3.8%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	4	3.8%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	4	3.8%

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 28468 vs 28467 →

29566

15,179
29582

14,622
28470

10,644
28467

8,703
28469

5,839
28468

4,375
28452

694

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 28468 ranks #6 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

28469

$90,684
28468

$83,358
28467

$75,341
29582

$71,723
28470

$65,030
29566

$64,878

What this shows By household income, ZIP 28468 ranks #2 of 6 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
28467	Calabash, NC	8,703	3.6 mi
28469	Ocean Isle Beach, NC	5,839	3.5 mi
28452	Longwood, NC	694	6.8 mi
29566	Little River, SC	15,179	8.4 mi
28470	Shallotte, NC	10,644	7.8 mi
29582	North Myrtle Beach, SC	14,622	9.3 mi

More ZIP Codes in Brunswick County

Brunswick County Sunset Beach, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 28468 in? ▼

ZIP code 28468 (Sunset Beach) is located in Brunswick County, North Carolina. Brunswick County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/brunswick-nc.

What is the population of ZIP code 28468? ▼

ZIP code 28468 in Sunset Beach, NC has a population of 4,375 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 28468? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 28468 is $83,358, which is 9% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 28468? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 28468 is $412,000, which is 48% above the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28468? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 28468 is White at 86.5%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 1.8% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 28468? ▼

ZIP code 28468 has 105 business establishments employing approximately 1,159 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 28468? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 28468 are: Retail trade (23), Construction (14), Real estate and rental and leasing (13). There are 11 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 28468? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 28468 decreased by 16.1% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 133%. This is a developmental index based on repeat sales and appraisal data from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

What is the education level in ZIP code 28468? ▼

In ZIP code 28468, 65.0% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 40.6% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).

What is the average commute time in ZIP 28468? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 28468 is 21.6 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.

What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 28468? ▼

In ZIP code 28468, approximately 87.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.6% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28468? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 28468 is 7.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.