Best Places28147, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28147, 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.
28147 ranks 14,621st 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 28147
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.
28147's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28147 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 79% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 28147 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
- Household income$65,860 median, better than only 35% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 39% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28147
A household needs to earn about $65,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28147 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,860, 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 28147's effective rate of 0.65%, 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 28147
28147 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28147.
Who works in 28147, and how
Work in 28147 centers on retail trade 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 87%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 28147
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28147.
What the weather is like in 28147, month by month
28147 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 89 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 40° | 31° |
| April | 72° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 89° | 77° | 69° |
| October | 73° | 60° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 28147
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 38 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28147
Schools across 28147 average a C+, better than 54% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Millbridge ElementaryB+ · 50% proficient
- Mt Ulla ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Cooleemee ElementaryB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- China Grove MiddleB− · 40% proficient
- Southeast MiddleC+ · 39% proficient
- West Rowan MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Rowan Co Early CollegeA− · 65% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28147 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28147 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 28147 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28147 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 9% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 28147
Is 28147 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28147 ranks 14,621st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, cheap car insurance, and fast internet, 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 28147 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $253,272. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $65,860 median income, cost of living beats 39% of zip codes.
Is 28147 safe?
28147 is safer than 45% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $392 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28147?
July highs average about 89 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 31. That works out to about 77 pleasant days a year, more than 39% of zip codes.
Is 28147 good for families?
Schools beat 54% of zip codes, crime safety beats 45%, and childcare runs $734 a month.
Compare 28147 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28147. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28147 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.
28147 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28147: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28147: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28147: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28147: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28147 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.