What city is 27278 in?

27278 is a Hillsborough, NC mailing address. By land area, 5% lies inside Hillsborough; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 27278?

About 27,925 people (±1,307), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 28,846.

What is the median household income in 27278?

$105,887 (±$10,295), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.

How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 27278?

19 USPS carrier routes with 12,881 residential and 667 business mailboxes (13,549 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 27278?

The closest, measured center to center: 27243 (6.7 mi, Efland), 27705 (7.4 mi, Durham), 27231 (8.8 mi), 27514 (8.8 mi, Chapel Hill), 27708 (10.2 mi, Durham) and 27712 (10.2 mi, Durham).

27278 ZIP Code, Hillsborough, NC

27278 is a ZIP code in Hillsborough, North Carolina in Orange County. It covers 104 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 27243, 27705 and 27231. 27,925 people live here in 11,533 households. With about 269 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and most homes are owner-occupied (78%). Median household income is $105,887, above the North Carolina median of $72,388.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Hillsborough, NC
County: Orange County
Land area: 104 sq mi
Population: 27,925
Median household income: $105,887
Carrier routes: 19 (12,881 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	27,925
Households	11,533
Median household income	$105,887
Income per person	$55,724
Median age	44.3
Homeowners	77.6%
Median home value	$414,100
Median rent	$1,297
Bachelor's degree or higher	55.7%
Average commute (minutes)	26.8
Households with kids under 18	27.5%
Moved in the past year	10.4%
Below the poverty line	7.0%
Broadband internet	95.9%
Speak a non-English language at home	13.5%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	3.4%
$10–15K	3.2%
$15–25K	3.9%
$25–35K	4.0%
$35–50K	9.2%
$50–75K	13.6%
$75–100K	10.7%
$100–150K	19.6%
$150–200K	11.5%
$200K+	20.9%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	11.8%
10–19	11.2%
20–24	3.6%
25–34	8.4%
35–44	15.5%
45–54	12.7%
55–64	17.2%
65–74	13.1%
75+	6.5%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	51.1%
Owned outright	21.7%
Rented	20.6%
Vacant	6.6%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	74.3%
Townhome	8.5%
2–4 units	1.1%
5–19 units	3.8%
20+ units	5.2%
Mobile / other	7.1%

Businesses in 27278

670 business establishments with 8,043 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Construction: 121
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 89
Retail Trade: 75
Other Services (except Public Administration): 71
Health Care and Social Assistance: 57
Accommodation and Food Services: 51
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 44
Wholesale Trade: 28

EDDM carrier routes

27278 has 19 USPS carrier routes with 12,881 residential and 667 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 27278

27278 has 19 USPS carrier routes (3 city (C), 16 rural (R)) with 12,881 residential and 667 business mailboxes. Routes range from 338 homes (R017) to 919 homes (R010); the median route has 709 homes. The Census counted 11,533 households in 27278 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	0
250–499	2
500–749	9
750–999	8
1,000–1,499	0
1,500+	0

Best routes in 27278 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 199, 769 homes
Route R005 — USPS business mailboxes 106, 865 homes
Route R013 — USPS business mailboxes 62, 753 homes
Route R012 — USPS business mailboxes 56, 709 homes
Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 52, 822 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 27278

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
C001	City	769	199	$102,718	—	—	—
C002	City	822	52	$153,279	—	—	—
C003	City	386	41	$128,542	—	—	—
R001	Rural	561	6	$164,833	—	—	—
R002	Rural	738	17	$85,205	—	—	—
R003	Rural	581	12	$117,390	—	—	—
R004	Rural	631	2	$111,220	—	—	—
R005	Rural	865	106	$60,779	—	—	—
R006	Rural	589	4	$107,361	—	—	—
R007	Rural	753	8	$60,779	—	—	—
R008	Rural	618	5	$110,774	—	—	—
R009	Rural	758	31	$32,004	—	—	—
R010	Rural	919	12	$140,456	—	—	—
R011	Rural	606	15	$117,409	—	—	—
R012	Rural	709	56	$60,779	—	—	—
R013	Rural	753	62	$127,018	—	—	—
R015	Rural	672	13	$117,409	—	—	—
R016	Rural	813	24	$107,361	—	—	—
R017	Rural	338	2	$101,399	—	—	—

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 27278 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

27243 — Efland CDP, NC (6.7 mi)
27705 — Durham city, NC (7.4 mi)
27231 (8.8 mi)
27514 — Chapel Hill town, NC (8.8 mi)
27708 — Durham city, NC (10.2 mi)
27712 — Durham city, NC (10.2 mi)
27302 — Mebane city, NC (10.3 mi)
27707 — Durham city, NC (12 mi)

Areas that include 27278

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 27278

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 27278, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 27278 in?: 27278 is a Hillsborough, NC mailing address. By land area, 5% lies inside Hillsborough; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 27278 in?: 27278 is in Orange County.
What is the population of 27278?: About 27,925 people (±1,307), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 28,846.
What is the median household income in 27278?: $105,887 (±$10,295), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 27278?: 19 USPS carrier routes with 12,881 residential and 667 business mailboxes (13,549 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 27278?: The closest, measured center to center: 27243 (6.7 mi, Efland), 27705 (7.4 mi, Durham), 27231 (8.8 mi), 27514 (8.8 mi, Chapel Hill), 27708 (10.2 mi, Durham) and 27712 (10.2 mi, Durham).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.