PlainZIP

Willard, NC · standard

ZIP Code 28478

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

4,588
15/sq mi
$73,388
Median income
$178,900
Median home value
15.1%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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

Top 48%
household income, US ZIPs
38th pct
home value, US ZIPs
15
people per sq mi
91%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28478 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 28478 covers 314.2 square miles in Willard, Pender County, North Carolina (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 4,588 residents on file, a density of 15 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.

ZIP 28478 lands in the middle-income range, with a median household income of $73,388 (6% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $40,605. Local economic indicators show a 14.1% poverty rate alongside 5.9% unemployment. Median home value sits at $178,900 (31% below the state average), median rent at $718 a month, and owner-occupancy at 90.8%.

Educational attainment sits below the national norm: 15.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 44.8, and the average commute is 33 minutes. Beyond these figures, 4 nearby ZIP codes within about 10 miles are surfaced below, along with 5 more sharing Pender County, letting you compare 28478 to its immediate surroundings rather than a national baseline 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 28478

Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Willard, NC

Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 28478.

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 28478, Willard, 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

4,588

Population

314.2

Area (sq mi)

15

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 28478?

44.8

Median Age

50.6%

Male

49.4%

Female

4.4%

Foreign-Born

White 72.6%
African American 17.9%
Asian 0.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.0%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 5.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.1%

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?

$73,388

Median Household Income

+6% vs state

$40,605

Per Capita Income

14.1%

Poverty Rate

5.9%

Unemployment Rate

32.6 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 28478 ranks nationally

Willard, NC household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$73,388 Top 48% higher than 52% 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 59.1%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 15.1%

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

What does housing look like?

2,327

Total Housing Units

2,087

Occupied Units

240

Vacant Units

2.40

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 90.8%
Renter 9.2%

$178,900

Median Home Value

-31% vs state

$718

Median Rent

1992

Median Year Built

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

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 53 business establishments in ZIP 28478, employing approximately 218 people with a combined annual payroll of $9,171,000.

53

Businesses

218

Employees

$9.2M

Annual Payroll

7

Industry Sectors

Industry Establishments % of Total
Construction 13 24.5%
Other services (except public administration) 11 20.8%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 6 11.3%
Health care and social assistance 5 9.4%
Transportation and warehousing 4 7.5%
Wholesale trade 3 5.7%
Retail trade 3 5.7%

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 28478 vs 28464 →

ZIP 28478 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 28478 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 28478 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 28478 ranks the highest 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
28464 Teachey, NC 2,457 9.4 mi
28425 Burgaw, NC 10,906 9.8 mi
28466 Wallace, NC 10,103 10.1 mi
28421 Atkinson, NC 1,521 11.6 mi

More ZIP Codes in Pender County

28443 standard
Hampstead, NC
Pop: 17,512
28425 standard
Burgaw, NC
Pop: 10,906
28457 standard
Rocky Point, NC
Pop: 9,905
28435 standard
Currie, NC
Pop: 2,490
28421 standard
Atkinson, NC
Pop: 1,521

Related Areas

Pender County Willard, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 28478 in? ▼
ZIP code 28478 (Willard) is located in Pender County, North Carolina. Pender County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/pender-nc.
What is the population of ZIP code 28478? ▼
ZIP code 28478 in Willard, NC has a population of 4,588 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 28478? ▼
The median household income in ZIP 28478 is $73,388, which is 4% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 28478? ▼
The median home value in ZIP 28478 is $178,900, which is 36% below the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28478? ▼
The largest racial group in ZIP 28478 is White at 72.6%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 8.1% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 28478? ▼
ZIP code 28478 has 53 business establishments employing approximately 218 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 28478? ▼
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 28478 are: Construction (13), Other services (except public administration) (11), Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services (6). There are 7 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 28478? ▼
In ZIP code 28478, 59.1% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 15.1% 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 28478? ▼
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 28478 is 32.6 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend more time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 28478? ▼
In ZIP code 28478, approximately 90.8% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 9.2% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28478? ▼
The poverty rate in ZIP code 28478 is 14.1% 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.