What city is 28697 in?

28697 is a Wilkesboro, NC mailing address. By land area, 10% lies inside Wilkesboro and 5% lies inside Moravian Falls; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.

What is the population of 28697?

About 13,412 people (±1,147), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 12,674.

What is the median household income in 28697?

$52,988 (±$10,298), 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 28697?

11 USPS carrier routes with 5,665 residential and 584 business mailboxes (6,250 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.

What ZIP codes are near 28697?

The closest, measured center to center: 28654 (5.4 mi, Moravian Falls), 28659 (5.5 mi, North Wilkesboro), 28606 (10 mi), 28669 (11.4 mi), 28665 (12.8 mi) and 28635 (13.7 mi, Hays).

28697 ZIP Code, Wilkesboro, NC

28697 is a ZIP code in Wilkesboro, North Carolina in Wilkes County. It covers 62 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 28654, 28659 and 28606. 13,412 people live here in 5,471 households. With about 215 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (67% own). Median household income is $52,988, below the North Carolina median of $72,388.

Quick facts

Mailing city: Wilkesboro, NC
County: Wilkes County
Land area: 62 sq mi
Population: 13,412
Median household income: $52,988
Carrier routes: 11 (5,665 homes)

Key figures

Measure	Value
Residents	13,412
Households	5,471
Median household income	$52,988
Income per person	$29,097
Median age	43.4
Homeowners	66.7%
Median home value	$218,500
Median rent	$768
Bachelor's degree or higher	23.9%
Average commute (minutes)	22.6
Households with kids under 18	32.6%
Moved in the past year	7.1%
Below the poverty line	14.6%
Broadband internet	89.6%
Speak a non-English language at home	8.9%

Household income

% of households	Value
<$10K	6.1%
$10–15K	5.9%
$15–25K	11.1%
$25–35K	10.2%
$35–50K	15.4%
$50–75K	16.5%
$75–100K	9.9%
$100–150K	16.2%
$150–200K	4.4%
$200K+	4.4%

Age

% of all residents	Value
<10	9.1%
10–19	15.5%
20–24	6.5%
25–34	11.9%
35–44	10.3%
45–54	11.4%
55–64	13.3%
65–74	10.0%
75+	12.1%

Tenure

% of housing units	Value
Owned, with mortgage	31.5%
Owned outright	28.3%
Rented	29.2%
Vacant	11.0%

Type of building

% of housing units	Value
Detached house	62.9%
Townhome	0.2%
2–4 units	6.2%
5–19 units	9.3%
20+ units	5.1%
Mobile / other	16.4%

Businesses in 28697

409 business establishments with 10,919 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

Retail Trade: 79
Accommodation and Food Services: 54
Other Services (except Public Administration): 47
Health Care and Social Assistance: 37
Construction: 29
Finance and Insurance: 28
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 27
Manufacturing: 22

EDDM carrier routes

28697 has 11 USPS carrier routes with 5,665 residential and 584 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 28697

28697 has 11 USPS carrier routes (3 city (C), 8 rural (R)) with 5,665 residential and 584 business mailboxes. Routes range from 203 homes (C003) to 736 homes (R076); the median route has 502 homes. The Census counted 5,471 households in 28697 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per route	Routes
1–249	1
250–499	4
500–749	6
750–999	0
1,000–1,499	0
1,500+	0

Best routes in 28697 for…

Most businesses

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

Route C001 — USPS business mailboxes 170, 376 homes
Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 129, 536 homes
Route C003 — USPS business mailboxes 78, 203 homes
Route R078 — USPS business mailboxes 74, 484 homes
Route R074 — USPS business mailboxes 59, 430 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 28697

Route	Type	Homes	Businesses	Est. median income	Est. owners	Est. families with kids	Est. moved in past year
C001	City	376	170	$27,825	—	—	—
C002	City	536	129	$56,918	—	—	—
C003	City	203	78	$47,595	—	—	—
R071	Rural	450	22	$29,199	—	—	—
R072	Rural	635	9	$57,411	—	—	—
R073	Rural	693	13	$56,918	—	—	—
R074	Rural	430	59	$50,709	—	—	—
R075	Rural	502	3	$106,503	—	—	—
R076	Rural	736	8	$47,595	—	—	—
R077	Rural	620	19	$40,699	—	—	—
R078	Rural	484	74	$59,507	—	—	—

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 28697 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

28654 — Moravian Falls CDP, NC (5.4 mi)
28659 — North Wilkesboro town, NC (5.5 mi)
28606 (10 mi)
28669 (11.4 mi)
28665 (12.8 mi)
28635 — Hays CDP, NC (13.7 mi)
28624 (14 mi)
28649 (14 mi)

Areas that include 28697

Wilkesboro, NC ZIP codes — 1 ZIP code
Moravian Falls, NC ZIP codes — 2 ZIP codes
Wilkes County ZIP codes — 18 ZIP codes
North Carolina ZIP code data

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 28697

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) 28697, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 28697 in?: 28697 is a Wilkesboro, NC mailing address. By land area, 10% lies inside Wilkesboro and 5% lies inside Moravian Falls; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 28697 in?: 28697 is in Wilkes County.
What is the population of 28697?: About 13,412 people (±1,147), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 12,674.
What is the median household income in 28697?: $52,988 (±$10,298), 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 28697?: 11 USPS carrier routes with 5,665 residential and 584 business mailboxes (6,250 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 28697?: The closest, measured center to center: 28654 (5.4 mi, Moravian Falls), 28659 (5.5 mi, North Wilkesboro), 28606 (10 mi), 28669 (11.4 mi), 28665 (12.8 mi) and 28635 (13.7 mi, Hays).

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