Tarawa Terrace, NC · standard
ZIP Code 28543
Onslow County, North Carolina - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.
- 4,699
- 887/sq mi High-density area
- $50,649
- Median income Below-median income area
- 38.9%
- Bachelor's or higher Above-average bachelor's attainment
National ZIP placement
Tarawa Terrace pairs one of the lowest household incomes in the country, in a low-density, renter-heavy area.
- 15th pct
- household income, US ZIPs
- 887
- people per sq mi
- 3%
- owner-occupied homes
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28543 against every reporting US ZIP.
ZIP code 28543 covers 5.3 square miles in Tarawa Terrace, Onslow County, North Carolina (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 4,699 residents on file, a density of 887 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.
ZIP 28543 reports a modest median household income of $50,649 (27% below the average North Carolina ZIP), while per-capita income is $22,876. The poverty rate is 8.3%, with unemployment at 2.6%; those measures add context to the income figure. The ACS does not report a median home value for this ZIP, so housing cost context is limited to the available tenure and rent fields.
A solid share of residents have a four-year degree: 38.9% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 21.4, and the average commute is -. The page also surfaces 4 ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 6 more in Onslow County, so 28543 can be compared with both its immediate and county-level context.
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 →
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 28543, Tarawa Terrace, 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
4,699
Population
5.3
Area (sq mi)
887
People / sq mi
New York
Time Zone
standard
ZIP Type
Who lives in ZIP 28543?
21.4
Median Age
61.7%
Male
38.3%
Female
4.2%
Foreign-Born
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?
$50,649
Median Household Income
-27% vs state ZIP avg
$22,876
Per Capita Income
8.3%
Poverty Rate
2.6%
Unemployment Rate
How ZIP 28543 ranks among North Carolina ZIPs
Tarawa Terrace, NC household income vs. every North Carolina ZIP code
Median household income among 749 reporting North Carolina ZIPs (this ZIP's population is too small for a reliable national-corpus placement)
$50,649 19th percentile higher than 19% of 749 North Carolina ZIPs
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more North Carolina 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?
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
What does housing look like?
Housing stock: occupied vs vacant
2,056housing units
2,056
Total Housing Units
1,645
Occupied Units
411
Vacant Units
2.85
Avg Household Size
Occupancy Type
$1,418
Median Rent
2006
Median Year Built
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)
Nearby ZIP Codes
Want a side-by-side? Compare 28543 vs 28547 →
ZIP 28543 vs its nearest neighbors, by population
Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 28540
Jacksonville (28540)
49,252 residents
- 28546
Jacksonville (28546)
42,696 residents
- 28547
Camp Lejeune (28547)
21,884 residents
- 28544 5,368
Midway Park (28544)
5,368 residents
- 28543 4,699
Tarawa Terrace (28543)
4,699 residents
What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 28543 ranks #5 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.
ZIP 28543 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income
Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.
- 28547
Camp Lejeune (28547)
$67,588 median income
- 28540
Jacksonville (28540)
$65,625 median income
- 28546
Jacksonville (28546)
$63,561 median income
- 28544
Midway Park (28544)
$52,354 median income
- 28543
Tarawa Terrace (28543)
$50,649 median income
What this shows By household income, ZIP 28543 ranks #5 of 5 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.
Nationwide ZIPs with similar ACS profiles
Two Census-derived peer sets for ZIP 28543, both outside NC so the neighborhoods are not geographic containment (Nearby and same-county blocks stay local).
Similar population
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by resident population (4,699 here; floor ≥1,000).
Similar median household income
Nearest cross-state ZIPs by ACS median household income.
More ZIP Codes in Onslow County
Related Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
What county is ZIP code 28543 in?
ZIP code 28543 (Tarawa Terrace) is located in Onslow County, North Carolina. Onslow County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/onslow-nc.
What is the population of ZIP code 28543?
ZIP code 28543 in Tarawa Terrace, NC has a population of 4,699 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 28543?
The median household income in ZIP 28543 is $50,649, which is 34% below the national average of $76,288.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28543?
The largest racial group in ZIP 28543 is White at 58.7%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 16.3% of the population.
What is the education level in ZIP code 28543?
In ZIP code 28543, 60.9% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 38.9% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 28543?
In ZIP code 28543, approximately 2.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 97.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28543?
The poverty rate in ZIP code 28543 is 8.3% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.
Related
Take this with you
What to do with ZIP 28543's numbers, next.
- See how ZIP 28543 compares to a neighboring ZIP code on the same Census fields Compare this ZIP
- Check where Tarawa Terrace, NC ranks among every U.S. ZIP code on income, education, or homeownership View national rankings
- Save this ZIP to your shortlist to track alongside others you're considering View your shortlist
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) are Census Bureau approximations of USPS ZIP codes; figures describe the ZCTA area, not any single address within it.