| ZIP Codes: | 5 ZIP Codes (4 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Code: | 828 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:58 PM |
| Population: | 37,278 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37113 |
| Land Area: | 461 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 2 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.1042, -83.3429 |
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37,278 residents live across 5 ZIPs covering 461 sq mi, served by 4 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 33,196 to 37,278 from 2014 to 2024 — a +12.3% change. 4 ZIPs gained residents, 0 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 28763 (Otto, $72,269 median) and poorest ZIP 28734 (Franklin, $54,021) are 9.5 miles apart — a 1.3× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.8× across this county — from $228,500 in 28734 (Franklin) to $631,000 in 28741 (Highlands).
Density varies 2× across the county — from 48 people/sq mi in 28741 (Highlands) to 97 in 28734 (Franklin).
Educational attainment ranges from 22.8% bachelor's+ in 28734 (Franklin) to 50.7% in 28741 (Highlands) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #66 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #46 for median household income with the #21 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $57,265 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
28.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (7,921 of 28,247 reporting).
4 Standard delivery, 1 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.