ZIP Code 28906 — Murphy town, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28906 covers Murphy, NC in Cherokee County with a population of about 19,712.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 56.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 828; U.S. House district NC-11; the CHATTANOOGA media market.

Murphy, NC is tagged as a Tribal Nation community context (place names indicate a tribal nation community). Local search often includes tribal government offices, public safety, and Indian Health Service (IHS) / wellness topics alongside standard ZIP demographics.

Median household income in ZIP 28906 is about $52,669 — about 30% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 12.4%; unemployment rate near 4.0%; 24.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 9.3 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Healthcare, and Manufacturing; about 11.4% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 3.8 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 $219,800 — about 37% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $562 (about 52% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 84.0% (about 18.6 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28906 in Murphy, NC, a household would need roughly $61,000 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 $1,412. That is about 16% above the local median household income ($52,669), 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 Murphy town, NC as Relatively Low (composite score 56.7), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (81.1) and flood (67.9). 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 Murphy town, NC show little to no average snow and around 59.3 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 818 for ZIP 28906 (Murphy town, 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.