ZIP Code 28401 — Wilmington city, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28401 covers Wilmington, NC in New Hanover County with a population of about 21,820.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 41.6 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 472, 910; U.S. House district NC-7; the WILMINGTON media market.

Wilmington, NC sits in a university / college context (near cape fear community college (2.3 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 28401 is about $52,159 — about 31% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 22.1%; unemployment rate near 5.8%; 33.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (roughly in line with the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Healthcare, and Food services; about 19.6% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 4.4 points above 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 $263,000 — about 24% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $968 (about 17% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 40.5% (about 24.9 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28401 in Wilmington, NC, a household would need roughly $72,000 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 $1,689. That is about 38% above the local median household income ($52,159), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. 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 Wilmington city, NC as Relatively High (composite score 96.1), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (99.1) and flood (89.9). 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 Wilmington city, NC show little to no average snow and around 60.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 906 for ZIP 28401 (Wilmington 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.