Best Places28120, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28120, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
28120 ranks 5,803rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28120
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.
28120's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28120 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 89% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$626 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 28120 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 34% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28120
A household needs to earn about $82,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28120 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $80,932; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 28120's effective rate of 0.78%, 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 28120
28120'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 28120.
Who works in 28120, and how
Work in 28120 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28120
28120 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 28120 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28120, month by month
28120 sees roughly 61 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 28120
Charlotte/Douglas International sits about 8 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 28120
Schools across 28120 average an A−, better than 89% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Pinewood ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Ida Rankin Elementary SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- North Belmont ElementaryB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Belmont MiddleA · 67% proficient
- Stanley MiddleA · 59% proficient
- Mount Holly MiddleA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Levine Middle College High SchA+ · 98% proficient
- Gaston Early College High SchoolA+ · 92% proficient
- Stuart W Cramer HighA · 69% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28120 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28120 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 28120 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28120 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 71% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 17% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 28120
Is 28120 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28120 ranks 5,803rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, good schools, and affordable childcare, and lowest on the weather and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28120 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $315,203. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $80,932 median income, cost of living beats 71% of zip codes.
Is 28120 safe?
Yes, 28120 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $277 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28120?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of zip codes.
Is 28120 good for families?
Schools beat 89% of zip codes, crime safety beats 76%, and childcare runs $626 a month.
Compare 28120 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28120. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28120 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.
28120 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28120: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28120: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28120: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28120: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28120 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.