Best Places28681, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28681, 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.
28681 ranks 15,631st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28681
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.
28681's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28681 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 88% of zip codes
- School gradeA−, better than 86% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$656 a month, better than 80% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 28681 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- Household income$59,525 median, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 26% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 31% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28681
A household needs to earn about $50,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28681 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $59,525, 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 28681's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 28681
28681 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 28681.
Who works in 28681, and how
Work in 28681 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 28681
28681 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 28681 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28681, month by month
28681 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 53, with lows near 29. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 53° | 40° | 29° |
| April | 74° | 60° | 47° |
| July | 90° | 78° | 68° |
| October | 75° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 28681
The nearest airport, Concord-Padgett Regional, is about 45 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28681
Schools across 28681 average an A−, better than 86% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Snow Creek ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Clyde Campbell ElementaryA− · 61% proficient
- Ellendale ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- West Alexander MiddleA · 64% proficient
- Harry M Arndt MiddleA− · 58% proficient
- East Alexander MiddleA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Alexander Early CollegeA+ · 85% proficient
- Alexander Central HighB+ · 58% proficient
- Saint Stephens HighB+ · 58% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28681 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28681 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 28681 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 28681 suits
Common questions about living in 28681
Is 28681 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28681 ranks 15,631st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, cheap car insurance, and good schools, and lowest on education levels and internet speeds. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28681 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $197,012. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $59,525 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 28681 safe?
Yes, 28681 is safer than 63% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $309 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 28681?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 53 with lows near 29. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 31% of zip codes.
Is 28681 good for families?
Schools beat 86% of zip codes, crime safety beats 63%, and childcare runs $656 a month.
Compare 28681 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28681. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28681 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.
28681 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28681: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28681: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28681: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28681: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28681 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.