Best Places28508, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28508, 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.
28508 ranks 29,577th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a strong job market by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28508
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.
28508's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28508 ranks high
- Local economyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$624 a month, better than 83% of zip codes
Where 28508 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Household income$46,237 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28508
A household needs to earn about $31,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28508 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $46,237, 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 28508's effective rate of 0.68%, 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 28508
28508 runs older than the country, though fewer residents are over 65 than the national share.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28508.
Who works in 28508, and how
Work in 28508 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 28508
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28508.
What the weather is like in 28508, month by month
28508 sees roughly 74 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 55, 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 | 55° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 75° | 62° | 50° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 76° | 63° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 28508
The nearest airport, Albert J Ellis, is about 23 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28508
Schools across 28508 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Kenansville ElementaryC · 33% proficient
- B F Grady ElementaryC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Duplin Early College HighA− · 65% proficient
- James Kenan HighC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28508 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28508 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 28508 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28508
Is 28508 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28508 ranks 29,577th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a strong job market, state finances, and few empty homes, and lowest on education levels and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28508 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $119,274. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $46,237 median income, cost of living beats 8% of zip codes.
Is 28508 safe?
28508 is safer than 26% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $477 per resident a year.
Compare 28508 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28508. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28508 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.
28508 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28508: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28508: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28508: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28508: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28508 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.