What city is 28461 in?

28461 is a Southport, NC mailing address. By land area, 30% lies inside Boiling Spring Lakes, 12% lies inside St. James, 5% lies inside Southport and 5% lies inside Bald Head Island; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 28461?

About 23,762 people (±1,120), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 22,141.

What is the median household income in 28461?

$82,692 (±$6,908), 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 28461?

31 USPS carrier routes with 14,114 residential and 712 business mailboxes (14,824 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 28461?

The closest, measured center to center: 28465 (4.5 mi, Oak Island), 28449 (6.6 mi, Kure Beach), 28479 (9.6 mi, Leland), 28428 (10 mi, Carolina Beach), 28422 (10.5 mi, Oak Island) and 28412 (14.1 mi, Wilmington).

28461 ZIP Code, Southport, NC

28461 is a ZIP code in Southport, North Carolina in Brunswick County. It covers 76 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 28465, 28449 and 28479. 23,762 people live here in 11,150 households. With about 313 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and most homes are owner-occupied (87%). Median household income is $82,692, above the North Carolina median of $72,388; the median age is 62.6, older than most ZIP codes.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Southport, NC
County: Brunswick County
Land area: 76 sq mi
Population: 23,762
Median household income: $82,692
Carrier routes: 31 (14,114 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	23,762
Households	11,150
Median household income	$82,692
Income per person	$53,976
Median age	62.6
Homeowners	87.2%
Median home value	$428,600
Median rent	$1,352
Bachelor's degree or higher	42.2%
Average commute (minutes)	28
Households with kids under 18	12.0%
Moved in the past year	13.6%
Below the poverty line	5.8%
Broadband internet	93.3%
Speak a non-English language at home	4.1%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	3.3%
$10–15K	1.6%
$15–25K	5.6%
$25–35K	5.5%
$35–50K	11.6%
$50–75K	19.2%
$75–100K	11.9%
$100–150K	19.8%
$150–200K	11.2%
$200K+	10.3%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	4.9%
10–19	5.6%
20–24	2.6%
25–34	5.5%
35–44	7.7%
45–54	10.2%
55–64	20.5%
65–74	28.0%
75+	14.9%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	38.3%
Owned outright	28.6%
Rented	9.6%
Vacant	23.4%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	77.4%
Townhome	4.7%
2–4 units	2.1%
5–19 units	4.1%
20+ units	2.4%
Mobile / other	9.3%

Businesses in 28461

648 business establishments with 7,213 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Retail Trade: 113
Construction: 94
Accommodation and Food Services: 85
Other Services (except Public Administration): 60
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 57
Health Care and Social Assistance: 56
Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 54
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 38

EDDM carrier routes

28461 has 31 USPS carrier routes with 14,114 residential and 712 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 28461

28461 has 31 USPS carrier routes (25 city (C), 6 highway contract (H)) with 14,114 residential and 712 business mailboxes. Routes range from 175 homes (C025) to 703 homes (H014); the median route has 450 homes. The Census counted 11,150 households in 28461 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	3
250–499	17
500–749	11
750–999	0
1,000–1,499	0
1,500+	0

Best routes in 28461 for…

Most businesses

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

Route C017 — USPS business mailboxes 118, 452 homes
Route C021 — USPS business mailboxes 100, 635 homes
Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 93, 543 homes
Route C019 — USPS business mailboxes 67, 226 homes
Route C024 — USPS business mailboxes 62, 529 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 28461

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
C001	City	543	93	$67,832	—	—	—
C002	City	570	3	$109,958	—	—	—
C003	City	664	3	$77,667	—	—	—
C004	City	515	0	$67,832	—	—	—
C005	City	432	1	$129,050	—	—	—
C006	City	584	2	$129,050	—	—	—
C007	City	467	0	$128,073	—	—	—
C008	City	491	31	$77,667	—	—	—
C009	City	376	1	$105,005	—	—	—
C010	City	447	3	$129,050	—	—	—
C011	City	411	0	$129,050	—	—	—
C012	City	353	0	$129,050	—	—	—
C013	City	433	39	$77,667	—	—	—
C014	City	418	29	$78,553	—	—	—
C015	City	249	52	$109,958	—	—	—
C016	City	374	0	$128,073	—	—	—
C017	City	452	118	$77,667	—	—	—
C018	City	388	1	$129,050	—	—	—
C019	City	226	67	$67,832	—	—	—
C020	City	324	1	$128,073	—	—	—
C021	City	635	100	$77,667	—	—	—
C022	City	554	4	$129,050	—	—	—
C023	City	526	1	$128,073	—	—	—
C024	City	529	62	$109,958	—	—	—
C025	City	175	37	$67,832	—	—	—
H001	Highway contract	392	5	$65,088	—	—	—
H005	Highway contract	428	0	$65,088	—	—	—
H014	Highway contract	703	0	$43,598	—	—	—
H017	Highway contract	523	3	$65,088	—	—	—
H023	Highway contract	450	56	$43,598	—	—	—
H026	Highway contract	482	0	$65,088	—	—	—

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 28461 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

28465 — Oak Island town, NC (4.5 mi)
28449 — Kure Beach town, NC (6.6 mi)
28479 — Leland town, NC (9.6 mi)
28428 — Carolina Beach town, NC (10 mi)
28422 — Oak Island town, NC (10.5 mi)
28412 — Wilmington city, NC (14.1 mi)
28462 — Holden Beach town, NC (14.7 mi)
28409 — Wilmington city, NC (17 mi)

Areas that include 28461

St. James, NC ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Boiling Spring Lakes, NC ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Southport, NC ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Bald Head Island, NC ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Brunswick County ZIP codes — 13 ZIP codes
North Carolina ZIP code data

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 28461

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) 28461, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 28461 in?: 28461 is a Southport, NC mailing address. By land area, 30% lies inside Boiling Spring Lakes, 12% lies inside St. James, 5% lies inside Southport and 5% lies inside Bald Head Island; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 28461 in?: 28461 is in Brunswick County.
What is the population of 28461?: About 23,762 people (±1,120), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 22,141.
What is the median household income in 28461?: $82,692 (±$6,908), 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 28461?: 31 USPS carrier routes with 14,114 residential and 712 business mailboxes (14,824 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 28461?: The closest, measured center to center: 28465 (4.5 mi, Oak Island), 28449 (6.6 mi, Kure Beach), 28479 (9.6 mi, Leland), 28428 (10 mi, Carolina Beach), 28422 (10.5 mi, Oak Island) and 28412 (14.1 mi, Wilmington).

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