ZIP Code 28480 — Wrightsville Beach town, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28480 covers Wrightsville Beach, NC in New Hanover County with a population of about 2,727.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 55.6 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area codes 472, 910; U.S. House district NC-7; the WILMINGTON media market.

Wrightsville Beach, NC matches a tourism / travel destination profile (tourism/destination place names). Search demand here often clusters around weather, landmarks, short stays, and local services — the live 7-day forecast on this page is especially useful for trip planning.

Median household income in ZIP 28480 is about $165,682 — about 120% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 3.5%; unemployment rate near 1.3%; 72.0% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 38.3 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Construction, and Manufacturing; about 24.5% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 9.3 points above 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 $1,049,500 — about 202% above the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,765 (about 52% above the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 81.2% (about 15.8 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28480 in Wrightsville Beach, NC, a household would need roughly $289,000 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 $6,742. That is about 74% above the local median household income ($165,682), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. 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 Wrightsville Beach town, NC as Relatively High (composite score 96.1), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (99.1) and flood (89.9). 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 Wrightsville Beach town, NC show little to no average snow and around 60.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 113 for ZIP 28480 (Wrightsville Beach 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.