Spruce Pine, NC · standard

ZIP Code 28777

Mitchell 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

10,638
60/sq mi: $63,378
Median income: $228,400
Median home value: 19.7%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

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

35th pct
household income, US ZIPs: Top 48%
home value, US ZIPs: 60
people per sq mi: 77%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 28777 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 28777 is classified by USPS as a standard delivery area and covers roughly 176.7 square miles in Spruce Pine, Mitchell County, North Carolina. The area is home to 10,638 residents, producing a population density of 60 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 28777 against North Carolina and the nation.

On the economic side, the median household income for ZIP 28777 sits at $63,378 (8% below the North Carolina average), while per-capita income is $30,661. The poverty rate stands at 12.5% and the unemployment rate at 5.7%. On housing, the median home value is $228,400 (12% below the state average) with median rent at $739 per month, and 76.7% of occupied units are owner-occupied, a direct signal of whether 28777 behaves more like a homeowner neighborhood or a renter-heavy ZIP.

Education and household profile round out the picture: 19.7% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 46.6, and the average commute is 24 minutes. We also surface 5 nearby ZIP codes within roughly 10 miles and 1 additional ZIPs sharing Mitchell County, so you can benchmark 28777 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 28777

Retail trade

46
Other services (except public administration)

42
Health care and social assistance

41
Construction

30
Accommodation and food services

29

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 28777, Spruce Pine, 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

10,638

Population

176.7

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 28777?

46.6

Median Age

57.6%

Male

42.4%

Female

5.3%

Foreign-Born

White 83.3%

African American 4.9%

Asian 0.3%

American Indian or Alaska Native 0.5%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.8%

Two or More Ethnicities 4.4%

Hispanic or Latino 7.7%

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?

$63,378

Median Household Income

-8% vs state

$30,661

Per Capita Income

12.5%

Poverty Rate

5.7%

Unemployment Rate

24.3 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 28777 ranks nationally

Household income vs. every US ZIP code

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

$63,378 35th percentile higher than 35% 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 56.4%

Bachelor's Degree or Higher 19.7%

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

What does housing look like?

5,093

Total Housing Units

3,989

Occupied Units

1,104

Vacant Units

2.18

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 76.7%

Renter 23.3%

$228,400

Median Home Value

-12% vs state

$739

Median Rent

1980

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

-11.1%

YoY Change (2024)

237

HPI Index (2000 = 100)

+137%

Total Change Since 2000

Home values in ZIP 28777 have decreased 11.1% over the past year (2024). Since 2000, this ZIP has seen +137% cumulative appreciation.

Year	Annual Change	HPI Index
2020	+9.7%	157
2021	+17.9%	185
2022	+16.4%	215
2023	+23.9%	267
2024	-11.1%	237

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 286 business establishments in ZIP 28777, employing approximately 3,777 people with a combined annual payroll of $175,295,000.

286

Businesses

3,777

Employees

$175.3M

Annual Payroll

Industry Sectors

Industry	Establishments	% of Total
Retail trade	46	16.1%
Other services (except public administration)	42	14.7%
Health care and social assistance	41	14.3%
Construction	30	10.5%
Accommodation and food services	29	10.1%
Professional, scientific, and technical services	20	7.0%
Finance and insurance	13	4.5%
Manufacturing	11	3.9%
Transportation and warehousing	11	3.9%
Wholesale trade	9	3.1%
Real estate and rental and leasing	9	3.1%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services	7	2.5%
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction	5	1.8%
Information	5	1.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting	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 28777 vs 28749 →

28777

10,638
28657

9,488
28705

6,715
28616

493
28647

89
28749

50

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 28777 ranks the most populous — useful context the national average alone can't give.

28777

$63,378
28657

$59,702
28705

$54,858

What this shows By household income, ZIP 28777 ranks the highest of 3 neighboring ZIPs — local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

ZIP Code	City	Population	Distance
28749	Little Switzerland, NC	50	4.5 mi
28647	Linville Falls, NC	89	5.9 mi
28705	Bakersville, NC	6,715	11.0 mi
28657	Newland, NC	9,488	11.4 mi
28616	Crossnore, NC	493	11.8 mi

More ZIP Codes in Mitchell County

28705 standard

Bakersville, NC

Pop: 6,715

Mitchell County Spruce Pine, NC North Carolina

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 28777 in? ▼

ZIP code 28777 (Spruce Pine) is located in Mitchell County, North Carolina. Mitchell County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/mitchell-nc.

What is the population of ZIP code 28777? ▼

ZIP code 28777 in Spruce Pine, NC has a population of 10,638 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in ZIP 28777? ▼

The median household income in ZIP 28777 is $63,378, which is 17% below the national average of $76,288.

What is the average home value in ZIP 28777? ▼

The median home value in ZIP 28777 is $228,400, which is 18% below the national average of $278,155.

What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 28777? ▼

The largest racial group in ZIP 28777 is White at 83.3%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 7.7% of the population.

How many businesses are in ZIP code 28777? ▼

ZIP code 28777 has 286 business establishments employing approximately 3,777 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.

What are the main industries in ZIP code 28777? ▼

The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 28777 are: Retail trade (46), Other services (except public administration) (42), Health care and social assistance (41). There are 15 industry sectors represented in total.

How have home values changed in ZIP code 28777? ▼

According to the FHFA House Price Index, home values in ZIP 28777 decreased by 11.1% in 2024. Since 2000, home values in this ZIP have appreciated by approximately 137%. 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 28777? ▼

In ZIP code 28777, 56.4% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 19.7% 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 28777? ▼

The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 28777 is 24.3 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 28777? ▼

In ZIP code 28777, approximately 76.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 23.3% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 28777? ▼

The poverty rate in ZIP code 28777 is 12.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.