Best Places28304, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28304, 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.
28304 ranks 22,341st 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 28304
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.
28304's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28304 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 86% of zip codes
- School gradeB, better than 76% of zip codes
- Short commute22.3 minutes each way, better than 74% of zip codes
Where 28304 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 70 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28304
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28304 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,202, 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 28304's effective rate of 1.07%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28304
28304 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28304.
Who works in 28304, and how
Work in 28304 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 28304
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28304.
What the weather is like in 28304, month by month
28304 sees roughly 70 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 58, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 58° | 45° | 33° |
| April | 79° | 64° | 50° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 72° |
| October | 79° | 65° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 28304
The nearest airport, Fayetteville Regional/Grannis Field, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 60 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28304
Schools across 28304 average a B, better than 76% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- E Melvin Honeycutt ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Rockfish Hoke ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- J W Coon ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Century International MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- East Hoke MiddleB+ · 49% proficient
- Reid Ross Classical MiddleB · 43% proficient
Top high schools
- Cumberland International Early CollegeA+ · 83% proficient
- Sandhoke Early College HighA+ · 82% proficient
- Douglas Byrd HighC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28304 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28304 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 28304 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28304 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 28304
Is 28304 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28304 ranks 22,341st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, fast internet, and cell coverage, and lowest on an overheated housing market and crime. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28304 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $176,542. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $62,202 median income, cost of living beats 35% of zip codes.
Is 28304 safe?
28304 is safer than 10% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $711 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28304?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 58 with lows near 33. That works out to about 70 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of zip codes.
Is 28304 good for families?
Schools beat 76% of zip codes, crime safety beats 10%, and childcare runs $762 a month.
Compare 28304 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28304. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28304 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.
28304 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28304: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28304: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28304: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28304: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28304 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.