Best Places28740, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28740, 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.
28740 ranks 21,793rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and empty homes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 28740
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.
28740's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28740 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 28740 ranks low
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Household income$53,727 median, better than only 15% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28740
A household needs to earn about $55,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28740 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $53,727; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 28740's effective rate of 0.47%, 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 28740
28740 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 28740.
Who works in 28740, and how
Work in 28740 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 28740
28740 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 99% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 28740 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 28740, month by month
28740 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 27. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 37° | 27° |
| April | 73° | 57° | 42° |
| July | 90° | 76° | 65° |
| October | 75° | 59° | 46° |
Flying in and out of 28740
The nearest airport, Tri-Cities, is about 33 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 92 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28740
Schools across 28740 average a B+, better than 80% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Blue Ridge ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Gouge ElementaryB · 48% proficient
- Love Chapel ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Yancey MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Cane River MiddleA · 61% proficient
- Harris MiddleA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Mayland Early CollegeA+ · 80% proficient
- Mountain Heritage HighA− · 60% proficient
- Mitchell HighB · 48% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28740 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28740 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 28740 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28740
Is 28740 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28740 ranks 21,793rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, state finances, and cheap car insurance, and lowest on empty homes and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28740 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $221,730. The overall cost of living runs about 7% below the national average. Set against a $53,727 median income, cost of living beats 14% of zip codes.
Is 28740 safe?
Yes, 28740 is safer than 66% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $289 per resident a year.
Compare 28740 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28740. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28740 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.
28740 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28740: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28740: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28740: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28740: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28740 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.