Ocean Isle Beach, NC · standard

ZIP Code 28469

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 14, 2026

5,839
101/sq mi: $90,684
Median income: $463,200
Median home value: 43.0%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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

Top 26%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 15%
home value, US ZIPs: 101
people per sq mi: 87%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28469 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 28469 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 57.6 square miles in Ocean Isle Beach, Brunswick County, North Carolina. The area is home to 5,839 residents, producing a population density of 101 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 28469 against North Carolina and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 28469 sits at $90,684 (31% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $50,043. The poverty rate stands at 6.7% and the unemployment rate at 2.3%. On housing, the median home value is $463,200 (79% above the state average) with median rent at $950 per month, and 87.3% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 28469 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 43.0% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 61.2, and the average commute is 26 minutes. We also surface 5 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Brunswick County, so you can benchmark 28469 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 28469

Retail trade

50
Construction

45
Accommodation and food services

33
Real estate and rental and leasing

24
Other services (except public administration)

20

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 28469, Ocean Isle Beach, NC · 2023 Accessed 2026-06-14 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

5,839

Population

57.6

Area (sq mi)

101

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 28469?

61.2

Median Age

46.8%

Male

53.2%

Female

3.7%

Foreign-Born

White 90.3%

African American 3.2%

Asian 0.8%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 3.0%

Hispanic or Latino 5.6%

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?

$90,684

Median Household Income

+31% vs state

$50,043

Per Capita Income

6.7%

Poverty Rate

2.3%

Unemployment Rate

25.5 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 28469 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$90,684 Top 26% higher than 74% 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 69.4%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 43.0%

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

What does housing look like?

9,258

Total Housing Units

4,719

Occupied Units

4,539

Vacant Units

2.20

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 87.3%

Renter 12.7%

$463,200

Median Home Value

+79% vs state

$950

Median Rent

2001

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

-4.5%

YoY Change (2024)

282

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+182%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 28469 have decreased 4.5% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +182% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+6.0%	185
2021	+14.3%	212
2022	+25.1%	265
2023	+11.5%	296
2024	-4.5%	282

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 260 business establishments in ZIP 28469, employing approximately 2,470 people with a combined annual payroll of $91,071,000.

260

Businesses

2,470

Employees

$91.1M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Retail trade	50	19.2%
Construction	45	17.3%
Accommodation and food services	33	12.7%
Real estate and rental and leasing	24	9.2%
Other services (except public administration)	20	7.7%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	19	7.3%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	18	6.9%
Health care and social assistance	13	5.0%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	11	4.2%
Wholesale trade	8	3.1%
Finance and insurance	8	3.1%
Transportation and warehousing	5	1.9%
Educational services	3	1.1%

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 28469 vs 28468 →

28470

10,644
28467

8,703
28469

5,839
28468

4,375
28420

3,886
28452

694

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 28469 ranks #3 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

28469

$90,684
28468

$83,358
28467

$75,341
28470

$65,030
28420

$53,935

What this shows By household income, ZIP 28469 ranks the highest of 5 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
28468	Sunset Beach, NC	4,375	3.5 mi
28470	Shallotte, NC	10,644	4.4 mi
28467	Calabash, NC	8,703	6.5 mi
28452	Longwood, NC	694	6.8 mi
28420	Ash, NC	3,886	10.2 mi

More ZIP Codes in Brunswick County

Brunswick County Ocean Isle Beach, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 28469 in? ▼

ZIP code 28469 (Ocean Isle 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 28469? ▼

ZIP code 28469 in Ocean Isle Beach, NC has a population of 5,839 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 28469? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 28469 is $90,684, which is 19% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 28469? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 28469 is $463,200, which is 67% above the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28469? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 28469 is White at 90.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 5.6% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 28469? ▼

ZIP code 28469 has 260 business establishments employing approximately 2,470 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 28469? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 28469 are: Retail trade (50), Construction (45), Accommodation and food services (33). There are 13 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 28469? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 28469 decreased by 4.5% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 182%. 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 28469? ▼

In ZIP code 28469, 69.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 43.0% 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 28469? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 28469 is 25.5 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 28469? ▼

In ZIP code 28469, approximately 87.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 12.7% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28469? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 28469 is 6.7% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.