Catawba, NC
Catawba County · North Carolina · United States
Home to 6,617 people across 45.665 square miles.
At a glance
28609 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 28609 is
| Coordinates | 35.678451, -81.057418 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Catawba County |
| State | North Carolina (NC) |
| Land area | 45.665 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
Live from the National Weather Service
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 231.4 mi |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | 436.4 mi |
| New York, NY | 517.0 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 555.3 mi |
People
Who lives in 28609
6,617 residents in 2,816 households, averaging 2.35 people per household. The largest age group is 65+ at 20.5% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 2,816 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.35 |
| Family households | 69.4% |
| Living alone | 26.2% |
| Median age | 42.4 years |
| Households with internet | 85.5% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 28609
The median household here earns $81,756 a year, above the US median of $70,109, which puts 28609 ahead of 67% of American ZIP codes. 10.7% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $81,756 ±$11,828 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $35,929 |
| Poverty rate | 10.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 1.9% |
| Labor force participation | 62.9% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 17.2% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 83.7% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 28609
A typical home is valued at $229,000, and median rent runs $1,090 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 86.4% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1983.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $229,000 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,090/mo |
| Median year built | 1983 |
| Housing units | 3,264 |
| Vacancy rate | 13.7% |
Own vs. rent
Of 2,816 occupied units
| Owner households | 2,432 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 384 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 28609 commutes
84.7% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 35.6 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 35.6 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 28609
ZIP code 28609 is assigned to Catawba, NC, and falls within Catawba County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 6,617 people live inside it.
At 145 residents per square mile spread over 45.665 square miles, 28609 reads as a rural area. It is a smaller postal code by population, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings track close to the national picture. The median of $81,756 puts 28609 near the middle of the pack, ahead of 67% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Catawba looks like
Housing in 28609 costs close to the national median. A typical home is valued at $229,000 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,090 a month. Ownership dominates: 86.4% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, which usually signals an established residential area with relatively low turnover.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 83.6% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1983, making the housing here from the later twentieth century.
The population skews broadly in line with the national age profile, with a median age of 42.4 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.35 people, and 69.4% are family households.
Getting to work takes 35.6 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 84.7% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Catawba, NC
28609 covers a rural area, and accommodation within the postal code itself is likely to be sparse — perhaps a country inn, a lodge or a vacation rental rather than a conventional hotel. Widening the search radius is usually the practical approach, and it also opens up more availability at short notice.
Median rent in 28609 is $1,090 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 231.4 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 28609 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 28609 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 28609 offers a compact profile of Catawba: 6,617 residents, a median household income of $81,756, 17.2% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 1.9%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 28609 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Catawba may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 28609
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every North Carolina ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
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Questions
Common questions about 28609
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Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28609. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).