Best Places28669, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28669, 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.
28669 ranks 24,644th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on good schools by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28669
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.
28669's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28669 ranks high
- School gradeA, better than 94% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 88% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 87% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$725 a month, better than 70% of zip codes
Where 28669 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Household income$47,210 median, better than only 8% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 9% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28669
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28669 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $47,210, 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 28669's effective rate of 0.63%, 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 28669
28669 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28669.
Who works in 28669, and how
Work in 28669 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28669
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28669.
What the weather is like in 28669, month by month
28669 sees roughly 87 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 37° | 29° |
| April | 70° | 57° | 46° |
| July | 87° | 75° | 65° |
| October | 71° | 58° | 48° |
Flying in and out of 28669
The nearest airport, Piedmont Triad International, is about 59 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28669
Schools across 28669 average an A, better than 94% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Ronda-clingman Elementary SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- C C Wright Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Roaring River Elementary SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Wilkes Middle SchoolA+ · 68% proficient
- North Wilkes Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Central Wilkes Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top high schools
- Wilkes Early College High SchoolA+ · 90% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28669 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28669 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 28669 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28669
Is 28669 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28669 ranks 24,644th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on good schools, state finances, and low disaster risk, and lowest on education levels and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28669 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $154,585. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $47,210 median income, cost of living beats 9% of zip codes.
Is 28669 safe?
28669 is safer than 32% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $423 per resident a year.
Compare 28669 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28669. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28669 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.
28669 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28669: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28669: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28669: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28669: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28669 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.