ZIP Code 28557 — Morehead City town, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28557 covers Morehead City, NC in Carteret County with a population of about 15,355.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 48.2 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 252; U.S. House district NC-3; the GREENVILLE - N. BERN - WASHNGTN media market.

Morehead City, NC sits in a university / college context (near carteret community college (1.0 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 28557 is about $67,753 — about 10% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 10.9%; unemployment rate near 3.6%; 40.0% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 6.3 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Manufacturing; about 9.1% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 6.1 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 $331,800 — about 5% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $973 (about 16% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 63.4% (about 2.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28557 in Morehead City, NC, a household would need roughly $91,000 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 $2,131. That is about 34% above the local median household income ($67,753), 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 Morehead City town, NC as Relatively Moderate (composite score 93.5), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are hurricane (98.7) and wildfire (88.6). 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 Morehead City town, NC show little to no average snow and around 61.2 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 637 for ZIP 28557 (Morehead 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.