| ZIP Codes: | 11 ZIP Codes (4 Standard, 7 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 704 / 828 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:55 PM |
| Population: | 78,751 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37023 |
| CBSA: | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
| Land Area: | 429 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 3 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.7755, -81.6501 |
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78,751 residents live across 11 ZIPs covering 429 sq mi, served by 10 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 80,983 to 78,692 from 2014 to 2024 — a -2.8% change. 2 ZIPs gained residents, 6 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 28637 (Hildebran, $67,500 median) and poorest ZIP 28619 (Drexel, $34,881) are 11.0 miles apart — a 1.9× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 1.3× across this county — from $162,400 in 28612 (Connelly Springs) to $211,300 in 28690 (Valdese).
Density varies 2623× across the county — from 133 people/sq mi in 28612 (Connelly Springs) to 347,857 in 28619 (Drexel).
Educational attainment ranges from 10.0% bachelor's+ in 28619 (Drexel) to 32.0% in 28690 (Valdese) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #35 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #54 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $58,589 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
21.9% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (12,744 of 58,316 reporting).
4 Standard delivery, 7 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
One ZIP holds the majority of this county's population — a sign of a county built around a single city or town.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28655 | Morganton | Standard | 55,100 | $57,713 | 320.2 | -0.3% |
| 28612 | Connelly Springs | Standard | 11,290 | $54,934 | 85.1 | -10.2% |
| 28690 | Valdese | Standard | 9,196 | $67,000 | 21.2 | 1.5% |
| 28637 | Hildebran | Standard | 1,911 | $67,500 | 2.7 | 21.1% |
| 28619 | Drexel | PO Box | 487 | $34,881 | 0.0 | -58.2% |
| 28671 | Rutherford College | PO Box | 375 | $73,929 | 0.0 | -29.9% |
| 28666 | Icard | PO Box | 273 | — | 0.0 | -42.8% |
| 28628 | Glen Alpine | PO Box | 60 | $74,375 | 0.0 | -83.6% |
| 28641 | Jonas Ridge | PO Box | 59 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 28647 | Linville Falls | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |
| 28680 | Morganton | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |