ZIP Code 28704 — Royal Pines CDP, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28704 covers Royal Pines, NC in Buncombe County with a population of about 23,516.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.0 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 828; U.S. House district NC-11; the GREENVLL - SPART - ASHEVLL - AND media market.

Royal Pines, NC sits in a university / college context (near galen health institutes-asheville (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 28704 is about $79,088 — about 5% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 5.5%; unemployment rate near 4.4%; 40.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 7.2 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Construction; about 16.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 1.5 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 $343,600 — about even with the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,268 (about 9% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 59.6% (about 5.8 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28704 in Royal Pines, NC, a household would need roughly $95,000 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 $2,207. That is about 20% above the local median household income ($79,088), 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 Royal Pines CDP, NC as Relatively Moderate (composite score 89.3), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (91.7) and wildfire (80.6). 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 Royal Pines CDP, NC show little to no average snow and around 53.9 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 976 for ZIP 28704 (Royal Pines CDP, 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.