28659 ZIP Code, North Wilkesboro, NC

28659 is a ZIP code in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina in Wilkes County. It covers 101 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 28697, 28635 and 28669. 21,422 people live here in 8,869 households. With about 213 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (68% own). Median household income is $50,280, below the North Carolina median of $72,388.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents21,422
Households8,869
Median household income$50,280
Income per person$26,821
Median age42.8
Homeowners68.0%
Median home value$159,300
Median rent$708
Bachelor's degree or higher17.7%
Average commute (minutes)23.6
Households with kids under 1827.1%
Moved in the past year3.7%
Below the poverty line19.2%
Broadband internet90.4%
Speak a non-English language at home9.7%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K5.7%
$10–15K6.7%
$15–25K8.5%
$25–35K10.0%
$35–50K18.6%
$50–75K19.9%
$75–100K12.5%
$100–150K13.8%
$150–200K2.2%
$200K+2.0%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<1010.7%
10–1911.6%
20–246.8%
25–3411.7%
35–4411.5%
45–5414.1%
55–6412.2%
65–7411.6%
75+9.7%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage31.2%
Owned outright30.4%
Rented28.0%
Vacant10.4%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house65.0%
Townhome0.5%
2–4 units7.7%
5–19 units4.6%
20+ units1.8%
Mobile / other20.3%

Businesses in 28659

459 business establishments with 7,190 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

28659 has 15 USPS carrier routes with 8,624 residential and 688 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 28659

28659 has 15 USPS carrier routes (4 city (C), 11 rural (R)) with 8,624 residential and 688 business mailboxes. Routes range from 341 homes (C005) to 697 homes (R009); the median route has 592 homes. The Census counted 8,869 households in 28659 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2490
250–4993
500–74912
750–9990
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Best routes in 28659 for…

Most businesses

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

  1. Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 272, 474 homes
  2. Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 123, 526 homes
  3. Route C003 — USPS business mailboxes 76, 532 homes
  4. Route R007 — USPS business mailboxes 36, 576 homes
  5. Route R010 — USPS business mailboxes 28, 624 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 28659

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
C001City526123$36,289———
C002City474272$47,189———
C003City53276$53,711———
C005City34127$53,711———
R001Rural63118$57,770———
R002Rural62412$47,708———
R003Rural46214$41,186———
R004Rural6717$54,842———
R005Rural56321$44,880———
R006Rural6177$58,630———
R007Rural57636$46,963———
R008Rural59214$51,695———
R009Rural69712$47,708———
R010Rural62428$52,035———
R012Rural69421$47,189———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 28659 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

Areas that include 28659

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 28659

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) 28659, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 28659 in?
28659 is a North Wilkesboro, NC mailing address. By land area, 7% lies inside North Wilkesboro, 5% lies inside Mulberry, 4% lies inside Fairplains and 3% lies inside Cricket; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 28659 in?
28659 is in Wilkes County.
What is the population of 28659?
About 21,422 people (±1,196), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 20,588.
What is the median household income in 28659?
$50,280 (±$3,355), 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 28659?
15 USPS carrier routes with 8,624 residential and 688 business mailboxes (9,287 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 28659?
The closest, measured center to center: 28697 (5.5 mi, Wilkesboro), 28635 (8.2 mi, Hays), 28669 (8.8 mi), 28649 (9 mi), 28651 (10.9 mi, Millers Creek) and 28654 (10.9 mi, Moravian Falls).

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