Best Places28223, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28223, 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.
28223 ranks 26,091st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on population health by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28223
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.
28223's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28223 ranks high
- Health outlookBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 95% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 28223 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$37,143 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 6% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28223
A household needs to earn about $61,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28223 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $37,143, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 28223's effective rate of 0.69%, 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 28223
28223 runs younger than the country, 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 28223.
Who works in 28223, and how
Work in 28223 centers on hospitality & food and education. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 50%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 29%
Life in 28223
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28223.
What the weather is like in 28223, month by month
28223 sees roughly 79 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 74° | 62° | 51° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 75° | 63° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 28223
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 14 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28223
Schools across 28223 average a B−, better than 75% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- University Meadows ElementaryC · 32% proficient
Top middle schools
- James Martin MiddleC− · 30% proficient
Top high schools
- Levine Middle College High SchA+ · 98% proficient
- Cato Middle College High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
- Char Eng Early College-unccA+ · 87% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28223 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28223 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 28223 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28223
Is 28223 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28223 ranks 26,091st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on population health, cell coverage, and transit, and lowest on a weak job market and the cost of living against local pay. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28223 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $237,800. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $37,143 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 28223 safe?
28223 is safer than 8% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $762 per resident a year.
Compare 28223 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28223. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28223 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.
28223 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28223: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28223: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28223: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28223: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28223 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.