Morganton, NC
Burke County · North Carolina · United States
Home to 56,201 people across 324.99 square miles.
At a glance
28655 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 28655 is
| Coordinates | 35.763266, -81.749862 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Burke County |
| State | North Carolina (NC) |
| Land area | 324.99 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 | 204.4 mi |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | 461.1 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 527.6 mi |
| New York, NY | 541.4 mi |
People
Who lives in 28655
56,201 residents in 22,141 households, averaging 2.54 people per household. The largest age group is 65+ at 20.6% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 22,141 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.54 |
| Family households | 68.3% |
| Living alone | 27.1% |
| Median age | 43.5 years |
| Households with internet | 84.1% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 28655
The median household here earns $53,464 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 28655 ahead of 21% of American ZIP codes. 21.2% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $53,464 ±$3,154 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $29,254 |
| Poverty rate | 21.2% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.3% |
| Labor force participation | 56.7% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 20.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 83.6% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 28655
A typical home is valued at $170,400, and median rent runs $827 a month. This is an owner-majority area — 72.7% of occupied homes are owned, and the typical building went up in 1981.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $170,400 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $827/mo |
| Median year built | 1981 |
| Housing units | 24,542 |
| Vacancy rate | 9.8% |
Own vs. rent
Of 22,141 occupied units
| Owner households | 16,094 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 6,047 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 28655 commutes
82.1% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 24.6 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 24.6 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 28655
ZIP code 28655 is assigned to Morganton, NC, and falls within Burke 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 56,201 people live inside it.
At 173 residents per square mile spread over 324.99 square miles, 28655 reads as a rural area. It is a populous postal code, 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 run below the national median. At $53,464, 28655 sits in the lower half, ahead of 21% 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 Morganton looks like
Housing in 28655 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $170,400 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $827 a month. Ownership dominates: 72.7% 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 69.1% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1981, 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 43.5 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.54 people, and 68.3% are family households.
Getting to work takes 24.6 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 82.1% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Morganton, NC
28655 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.
Local costs are modest — median rent here is $827 a month — and accommodation prices in the area tend to be correspondingly reasonable. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 204.4 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 28655 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 28655 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, 28655 offers a compact profile of Morganton: 56,201 residents, a median household income of $53,464, 20.8% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 5.3%. 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. 28655 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Morganton 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 28655
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.
Other ZIP codes in Morganton
Morganton is served by 2 postal codes.
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Questions
Common questions about 28655
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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 28655. 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).