ZIP Code 28144 — Salisbury city, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28144 covers Salisbury, NC in Rowan County with a population of about 27,238.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 39.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area codes 704, 980; U.S. House district NC-6; the CHARLOTTE media market.

Salisbury, NC sits in a university / college context (near catawba college (1.5 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 28144 is about $51,432 — about 32% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 26.1%; unemployment rate near 8.5%; 27.4% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.3 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Manufacturing; about 7.9% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 7.3 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 $205,900 — about 41% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $755 (about 35% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 54.1% (about 11.3 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28144 in Salisbury, NC, a household would need roughly $57,000 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 $1,323. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($51,432). 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 Salisbury city, NC as Relatively Moderate (composite score 82.9), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (84.8) and hurricane (72.4). 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 Salisbury city, NC show little to no average snow and around 43.7 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,131 for ZIP 28144 (Salisbury city, 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.