Best Places28016, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28016, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
28016 ranks 19,367th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28016
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.
28016's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28016 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$626 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 82% of zip codes
- School gradeB, better than 79% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 28016 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Household income$59,007 median, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 23% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 25% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28016
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28016 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,007, 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 28016's effective rate of 0.66%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28016
28016's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28016.
Who works in 28016, and how
Work in 28016 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28016
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28016.
What the weather is like in 28016, month by month
28016 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 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 | 76° | 62° | 48° |
| July | 92° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 78° | 63° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 28016
Charlotte/Douglas International sits about 20 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 28016
Schools across 28016 average a B, better than 79% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Costner ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
- W B Beam Intermediate SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Cherryville ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- John Chavis Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- W C Friday Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Southwest MiddleB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Gaston Early College High SchoolA+ · 92% proficient
- Bessemer City HighC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28016 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28016 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 28016 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28016
Is 28016 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28016 ranks 19,367th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, affordable childcare, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on an overheated housing market and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28016 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $222,243. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $59,007 median income, cost of living beats 23% of zip codes.
Is 28016 safe?
Yes, 28016 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $292 per resident a year.
Compare 28016 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28016. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28016 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.
28016 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28016: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28016: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28016: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28016: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28016 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.