Best Places28278, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28278, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
28278 ranks 963rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28278
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.
28278's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28278 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$128,634 median, better than 92% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
Where 28278 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$1,135 a month, better than only 22% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 31% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 40% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28278
A household needs to earn about $117,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28278 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $128,634, 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 28278's effective rate of 0.61%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28278
28278 runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28278.
Who works in 28278, and how
Work in 28278 centers on retail trade and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 29%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28278
28278 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 95% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 85% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 28278 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28278, month by month
28278 sees roughly 64 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 28278
Charlotte/Douglas International sits about 7 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 28278
Schools across 28278 average a B+, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Palisades Park ElementaryA · 64% proficient
- Winget Park ElementaryB · 44% proficient
- River Gate ElementaryB · 44% proficient
Top middle schools
- Kennedy MiddleB · 46% proficient
- Southwest Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Levine Middle College High SchA+ · 98% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28278 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28278 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 28278 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28278 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 97% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 29% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 28278
Is 28278 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28278 ranks 963rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, population health, and high incomes, and lowest on the weather and childcare costs. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28278 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $458,433. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $128,634 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 28278 safe?
28278 is safer than 53% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $336 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28278?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 56 with lows near 31. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 28278 good for families?
Schools beat 88% of zip codes, crime safety beats 53%, and childcare runs $1,135 a month.
Compare 28278 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28278. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28278 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.
28278 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28278: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28278: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28278: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28278: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28278 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.