Best Places28562, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28562, 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.
28562 ranks 14,072nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28562
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.
28562's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28562 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 88% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 87% of zip codes
- Short commute19.5 minutes each way, better than 87% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 28562 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 24% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28562
A household needs to earn about $69,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28562 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $78,088, 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 28562'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 28562
28562 runs older 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 28562.
Who works in 28562, and how
Work in 28562 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28562
28562 has more parkland per resident than 70% of zip codes. The coast is about 45 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 28562 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28562, month by month
28562 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 59, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and September through November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 59° | 45° | 33° |
| April | 77° | 63° | 50° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 78° | 65° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 28562
The nearest airport, Coastal Carolina Regional, is about 3 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Raleigh-Durham International, about 110 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28562
Schools across 28562 average an A−, better than 87% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- W Jesse Gurganus ElementaryA+ · 73% proficient
- Creekside ElementaryA · 69% proficient
- Albert H Bangert ElementaryA · 62% proficient
Top middle schools
- Tucker Creek MiddleA · 65% proficient
- Grover C Fields MiddleA− · 56% proficient
- H J Macdonald MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Early College East HighA+ · 95% proficient
- Craven Early College HighA · 75% proficient
- New Bern HighB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28562 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28562 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 28562 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28562 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 28562
Is 28562 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28562 ranks 14,072nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, fast internet, and good schools, and lowest on disaster risk and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28562 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $267,886. The overall cost of living runs about 12% below the national average. Set against a $78,088 median income, cost of living beats 66% of zip codes.
Is 28562 safe?
Yes, 28562 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $352 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28562?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 59 with lows near 33. That works out to about 69 pleasant days a year, more than 24% of zip codes.
Is 28562 good for families?
Schools beat 87% of zip codes, crime safety beats 56%, and childcare runs $825 a month.
Compare 28562 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28562. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28562 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.
28562 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28562: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28562: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28562: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28562: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28562 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.