Best Places28762, NC Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 28762, 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.
28762 ranks 17,465th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and a weak job market ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 28762
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.
28762's strengths and weaknesses
Where 28762 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 91% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 84% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of zip codes
Where 28762 ranks low
- Local economyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 28762
A household needs to earn about $52,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 28762 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $63,984, 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 28762's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 28762
28762 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 28762.
Who works in 28762, and how
Work in 28762 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 12%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 28762
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 28762.
What the weather is like in 28762, month by month
28762 sees roughly 90 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 40° | 31° |
| April | 72° | 59° | 48° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 73° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 28762
The nearest airport, Asheville Regional, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Charlotte/Douglas International, about 74 miles away.
The best schools in and around 28762
Schools across 28762 average a B+, better than 84% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- South Toe ElementaryA · 63% proficient
- Black Mountain PrimaryB+ · 55% proficient
- Old Fort Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- East Yancey MiddleA · 63% proficient
- Owen MiddleB+ · 51% proficient
- West Mcdowell Middle SchoolB · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Mcdowell Early CollegeA+ · 85% proficient
- Mountain Heritage HighA− · 60% proficient
- Middle CollegeB · 50% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 28762 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
28762 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 28762 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 28762
Is 28762 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 28762 ranks 17,465th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, state finances, and good schools, and lowest on a weak job market and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 28762 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $206,171. The overall cost of living runs about 11% below the national average. Set against a $63,984 median income, cost of living beats 32% of zip codes.
Is 28762 safe?
28762 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $327 per resident a year.
Compare 28762 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 28762. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 28762 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.
28762 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 28762: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 28762: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 28762: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 28762: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
28762 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.