Residential delivery area · North Carolina

ZIP Code 28906: Murphy, NC

ZIP code 28906 uses the postal name Murphy, North Carolina and lies entirely in Cherokee County (Census 2020 ZIP-county file). About 21,000 people live there (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). Median household income is $55,759 (Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024). By Census place, under 1% of its land lies in Murphy; more than 99% is outside any Census place.

  • ACS2020-24
  • Census2020
  • FHFA2025
  • ZBP2023
  • IRS2022
2national area: North Carolina, District of Columbia, Maryland, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia
289sectional center: Greenville, SC (SCF 296)
06delivery area within it
Town
Murphy · its only residential ZIP
Census places
Murphy
House district
NC-11 119th Congress
Time zone
Eastern
Land area
333.4 sq mi · 62 people per sq mi

Where is ZIP code 28906?

28906 centers on 35.087°, -84.137° and covers 333.4 square miles of land plus 11.1 of water. It borders 11 ZIP codes: 28902, 30559, 28905, 37391, 37333, 30560, 37317, 37385, 30512, 28904 and more.

28771 · Robbinsville28902 · Brasstown28904 · Hayesville28905 · Marble30512 · Blairsville30559 · Mineral Bluff30560 · Morganton37317 · Copperhill37333 · Farner37385 · Tellico Plains37391 · Turtletown28906 · Murphy (this ZIP)28906373853051228771289043056037317305592890537333373912890228771 · Robbinsville28902 · Brasstown28904 · Hayesville28905 · Marble30512 · Blairsville30559 · Mineral Bluff30560 · Morganton37317 · Copperhill37333 · Farner37385 · Tellico Plains37391 · Turtletown28906 · Murphy (this ZIP)28906373853051228771289043056037317305592890537333373912890228771 · Robbinsville28902 · Brasstown28904 · Hayesville28905 · Marble30512 · Blairsville30559 · Mineral Bluff30560 · Morganton37317 · Copperhill37333 · Farner37385 · Tellico Plains37391 · Turtletown28906 · Murphy (this ZIP)289063738530512287712890430560373173055928905
Shaded by median household income, in national fifths (ACS 2020-2024); 28906 outlined. Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries. <$54.1k$98.1k+no figure

The map draws ZIP code areas only. For the streets inside 28906, open its center on OpenStreetMap.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 ZCTA cartographic boundaries and the 2023 Gazetteer (2020 ZCTAs); ZIP-to-county shares, Census places and House districts (119th Congress) from the Census 2020 relationship files (shares of land); metro area from the OMB delineation (July 2023); town name and time zone from simplemaps US ZIP Codes (CC BY 4.0).

How does 28906 compare with the rest of Cherokee County?

Rank of 28906 among the residential ZIP codes of its town, county and state (1 = the most; income and home value among ZIP codes of 1,000+ people living in households)
Measure28906In Cherokee CountyIn NC
People (ACS 2020-2024)20,5261st of 4196th of 853
Median household income$56k1st of 1401st of 528
Median home value$250k1st of 3256th of 572

Its median household income is higher than in 22% of U.S. residential ZIP codes, and it is denser than 46% of all U.S. residential ZIP codes. ZIP codes at the ACS caps ($250,000 or more for household income, $2,000,000 or more for home value) share the top rank.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B19013, B25077); ranks by PlainZIP over residential ZIP codes (ZCTAs).

How many people live in 28906?

The 2020 Census counted 19,896 people in 28906; the ACS, which samples households over 2020-2024, estimates 20,526. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew 7.7% (its boundary stayed at least 90% the same).

People, ACS 2020-2024
20,526
2020 Census count
19,896+7.7% since 2010 (18,475)
Households
9,195
Median age
56.5

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01003, B01002, B11001); 2020 Census (DHC P1); 2010 Census (SF1 P1).

Who lives in 28906?

Of the 20,526 people the ACS estimates in 28906, 15.2% are under 18 and 34.9% are 65 or older. The largest group by race and Hispanic origin is White (not Hispanic) (90.6%).

  • Under 1815.2%
  • 18 to 6449.9%
  • 65 and older34.9%
Age of the people of 28906 (ACS 2020-2024, B01001)
  • White, not Hispanic90.6%
  • Other or two or more4.2%
  • Hispanic or Latino3.5%
  • Black, not Hispanic1.5%
  • Asian, not Hispanic0.2%
Race and Hispanic origin in 28906 (ACS 2020-2024, B03002); each person counted once

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B01001 age by sex, B03002 Hispanic or Latino origin by race); shares of the estimated population, small ZIP codes carry wide margins.

What do households in 28906 earn?

Median household income is $55,759 (ACS 2020-2024). It is not measurably different from 2015-2019 ($53,773 in 2024 dollars): the change is within the surveys' margins of error.

Median household income
$55,759±$5,650
Income per person
$32,506
Below the poverty line
11.6%
Unemployed (of the labor force)
3.9%
Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree
25.0%
Adjusted gross income per tax return, 2022
$58,1929,060 returns; wages 57% of AGI (IRS)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 and 2015-2019 5-year estimates (B19013, B19301, B17001, B23025, B15003; 2015-2019 dollars converted with the BLS CPI-U, 1.22699); IRS Statistics of Income, ZIP code data, tax year 2022 (adjusted gross income per return, filed under the address on the return).

What are homes worth in 28906?

FHFA's house price index for 28906, built from repeat sales and appraisals of the same homes, rose 126% from 2015 to 2025 and rose 75% from 2020 to 2025, and moved +7.6% in 2025.

Median home value (owners' estimate)
$250,300
Median gross rent
$797
Homes owned by their occupants
84.2%
Housing units
13,362
0 100 200 300 1998201020202025 0 100 200 300 1998201020202025 0 100 200 300 1998201020202025
Index = 100 in 1998, the first year FHFA reports for 28906; 2025: 306.3. Annual, not seasonally adjusted; FHFA calls its ZIP-level indexes developmental.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (B25077, B25064, B25003, B25001); FHFA House Price Index, annual five-digit ZIP, updated 2026-03-31.

What businesses are in 28906?

490 business establishments had a location in this ZIP code in 2023, 71 more than in 2018; the most are in retail trade (ZIP Code Business Patterns).

  • Retail trade102
  • Other services (except public administration)62
  • Construction61
  • Accommodation and food services59
  • Health care and social assistance55
  • Professional, scientific, and technical services35

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023 and 2018 (establishments with paid employees, by the business's ZIP code).

Which ZIP codes are next to 28906?

ZIP codes that share a boundary with 28906, then the nearest by center
ZIPTownPeopleHousehold incomeDistance
28902Brasstown986$89k11.0 mi
30559Mineral Bluff, GA5,024$57k11.9 mi
28905Marble3,056$58k12.2 mi
37391Turtletown, TN1,530$40k12.3 mi
37333Farner, TN513$27k13.3 mi
30560Morganton, GA4,295$66k15.0 mi
37317Copperhill, TN2,582$72k17.8 mi
37385Tellico Plains, TN9,015$61k18.0 mi
30512Blairsville, GA24,929$67k18.6 mi
28904Hayesville10,050$57k22.8 mi
28771Robbinsville7,567$49k23.8 mi
37326Ducktown, TN411–14.3 mi (near)

Source: PlainZIP from the Census 2020 ZCTA boundaries (shared edges) and internal points; figures ACS 2020-2024.