ZIP Code 28043 — Forest City town, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28043 covers Forest City, NC in Rutherford County with a population of about 20,896.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.3 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 828; U.S. House district NC-14; the GREENVLL - SPART - ASHEVLL - AND media market.

Median household income in ZIP 28043 is about $41,746 — about 44% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 23.8%; unemployment rate near 6.5%; 17.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 15.8 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Healthcare, and Construction; about 5.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 10.1 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 $176,100 — about 49% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $566 (about 51% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 64.2% (about 1.2 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28043 in Forest City, NC, a household would need roughly $48,000 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 $1,131. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($41,746). 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 Forest City town, NC as Relatively Low (composite score 72.7), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (79.2) and hurricane (66.7). 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 Forest City town, NC show little to no average snow and around 52.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 868 for ZIP 28043 (Forest City 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.