Best Places28012, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28012, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
28012 ranks 2,854th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28012
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
28012's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28012 ranks high
- School gradeA, better than 93% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 88% of zip codes
Where 28012 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 62 pleasant days a year, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 34% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28012
A household needs to earn about $98,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28012 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $101,538, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 28012's effective rate of 0.75%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28012
28012's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28012.
Who works in 28012, and how
Work in 28012 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 77%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 28012
28012 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 79% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 28012 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28012, month by month
28012 sees roughly 62 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 43° | 31° |
| April | 77° | 63° | 49° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 71° |
| October | 78° | 64° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 28012
Charlotte/Douglas International sits about 5 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.9 million passengers in 2025, with 213 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 28012
Schools across 28012 average an A, better than 93% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Belmont Central ElementaryA · 65% proficient
- W A Bess Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- New Hope ElementaryA · 62% proficient
Top middle schools
- Cramerton MiddleA+ · 77% proficient
- Belmont MiddleA · 67% proficient
- Mount Holly MiddleA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Gaston Early College High SchoolA+ · 92% proficient
- South Point HighA · 75% proficient
- Stuart W Cramer HighA · 69% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28012 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28012 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 28012 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28012 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 89% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 28012
Is 28012 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28012 ranks 2,854th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, state finances, and a strong job market, and lowest on an overheated housing market and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28012 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $376,351. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $101,538 median income, cost of living beats 89% of zip codes.
Is 28012 safe?
Yes, 28012 is safer than 75% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $270 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28012?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 62 pleasant days a year, more than 11% of zip codes.
Is 28012 good for families?
Schools beat 93% of zip codes, crime safety beats 75%, and childcare runs $626 a month.
Compare 28012 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28012. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28012 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
28012 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28012: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28012: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28012: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28012: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28012 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.