Atlantic Beach, NC · standard

ZIP Code 28512

Carteret 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

2,896
194/sq mi: $91,488
Median income: $565,400
Median home value: 61.8%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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

Top 25%
household income, US ZIPs: Top 11%
home value, US ZIPs: 194
people per sq mi: 79%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28512 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 28512 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 14.9 square miles in Atlantic Beach, Carteret County, North Carolina. The area is home to 2,896 residents, producing a population density of 194 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 28512 against North Carolina and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 28512 sits at $91,488 (32% above the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $67,739. The poverty rate stands at 10.9% and the unemployment rate at 3.5%. On housing, the median home value is $565,400 (118% above the state average) with median rent at $1,223 per month, and 79.1% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 28512 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 61.8% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 60.6, and the average commute is 22 minutes. We also surface 3 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 additional ZIPs sharing Carteret County, so you can benchmark 28512 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 28512

Accommodation and food services

45
Retail trade

31
Construction

19
Real estate and rental and leasing

18
Other services (except public administration)

14

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 28512, Atlantic 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

2,896

Population

14.9

Area (sq mi)

194

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 28512?

60.6

Median Age

52.1%

Male

47.9%

Female

2.6%

Foreign-Born

White 91.4%

African American 0.1%

Asian 0.2%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%

Two or More Ethnicities 7.9%

Hispanic or Latino 5.3%

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?

$91,488

Median Household Income

+32% vs state

$67,739

Per Capita Income

10.9%

Poverty Rate

3.5%

Unemployment Rate

22.2 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 28512 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$91,488 Top 25% higher than 75% 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 74.6%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 61.8%

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

What does housing look like?

8,949

Total Housing Units

1,705

Occupied Units

7,244

Vacant Units

1.93

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 79.1%

Renter 20.9%

$565,400

Median Home Value

+118% vs state

$1,223

Median Rent

1984

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

+7.5%

YoY Change (2023)

316

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+216%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 28512 have increased 7.5% over the past year (2023). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +216% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2019	+8.8%	201
2020	+4.3%	210
2021	+15.2%	242
2022	+21.6%	294
2023	+7.5%	316

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 2023. ZIP codes with few transactions may show missing values.

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 171 business establishments in ZIP 28512, employing approximately 1,349 people with a combined annual payroll of $46,171,000.

171

Businesses

1,349

Employees

$46.2M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Accommodation and food services	45	26.3%
Retail trade	31	18.1%
Construction	19	11.1%
Real estate and rental and leasing	18	10.5%
Other services (except public administration)	14	8.2%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	13	7.6%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	7	4.1%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation	5	2.9%
Manufacturing	4	2.3%
Transportation and warehousing	4	2.3%
Health care and social assistance	4	2.3%

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 28512 vs 28557 →

28570

21,432
28557

14,429
28512

2,896
28575

316

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 28512 ranks #3 by population — useful context the national average alone can't give.

28512

$91,488
28570

$70,229
28557

$68,528

What this shows By household income, ZIP 28512 ranks the highest of 3 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
28557	Morehead City, NC	14,429	3.1 mi
28575	Salter Path, NC	316	7.1 mi
28570	Newport, NC	21,432	7.5 mi

More ZIP Codes in Carteret County

Carteret County Atlantic Beach, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 28512 in? ▼

ZIP code 28512 (Atlantic Beach) is located in Carteret County, North Carolina. Carteret County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/carteret-nc.

What is the population of ZIP code 28512? ▼

ZIP code 28512 in Atlantic Beach, NC has a population of 2,896 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 28512? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 28512 is $91,488, which is 20% above the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 28512? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 28512 is $565,400, which is 103% above the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28512? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 28512 is White at 91.4%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 5.3% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 28512? ▼

ZIP code 28512 has 171 business establishments employing approximately 1,349 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 28512? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 28512 are: Accommodation and food services (45), Retail trade (31), Construction (19). There are 11 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 28512? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 28512 increased by 7.5% in 2023. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 216%. 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 28512? ▼

In ZIP code 28512, 74.6% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 61.8% 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 28512? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 28512 is 22.2 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 28512? ▼

In ZIP code 28512, approximately 79.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 20.9% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28512? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 28512 is 10.9% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.