Best Places28129, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28129, 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.
28129 ranks 9,603rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28129
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.
28129's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28129 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 28129 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute32.3 minutes each way, better than only 19% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28129
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28129 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $68,318, 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 28129's effective rate of 0.56%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28129
28129'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 28129.
Who works in 28129, and how
Work in 28129 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28129
28129 has more parkland per resident than 91% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 28129 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28129, month by month
28129 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 30. The comfortable stretch runs April through June, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 41° | 30° |
| April | 75° | 60° | 47° |
| July | 91° | 79° | 69° |
| October | 76° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 28129
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 24 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 35 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28129
Schools across 28129 average an A−, better than 91% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Locust ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- New Salem ElementaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Endy ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Stanly Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Stanly Early College HighA+ · 93% proficient
- West Stanly HighA− · 67% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28129 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28129 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 28129 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28129
Is 28129 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28129 ranks 9,603rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, few empty homes, and state finances, and lowest on the weather and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28129 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $265,342. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $68,318 median income, cost of living beats 52% of zip codes.
Is 28129 safe?
Yes, 28129 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $297 per resident a year.
Compare 28129 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28129. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28129 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.
28129 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28129: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28129: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28129: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28129: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28129 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.