ZIP Code 28097 — Locust city, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28097 covers Locust, NC in Stanly County with a population of about 7,976.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 37.0 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 704, 980; U.S. House district NC-8; the CHARLOTTE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 28097 is about $77,600 — about 3% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 10.1%; unemployment rate near 2.5%; 19.5% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 14.2 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Construction, and Retail trade; about 8.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 6.5 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $281,200 — about 19% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $595 (about 49% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 81.7% (about 16.3 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28097 in Locust, NC, a household would need roughly $77,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,806. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($77,600). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Locust city, NC as Relatively Low (composite score 58.8), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (77.6) and flood (69.9). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Locust city, NC show little to no average snow and around 48.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 331 for ZIP 28097 (Locust city, NC) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.