| ZIP Codes: | 12 ZIP Codes (7 Standard, 5 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 704 / 828 / 980 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:59 PM |
| Population: | 61,884 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37161 |
| CBSA: | Forest City, NC |
| Land Area: | 536 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 2 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.3585, -81.9170 |
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61,884 residents live across 12 ZIPs covering 536 sq mi, served by 12 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 64,218 to 61,838 from 2014 to 2024 — a -3.7% change. 3 ZIPs gained residents, 6 lost (and 1 held flat).
The county's wealthiest ZIP 28746 (Lake Lure, $70,469 median) and poorest ZIP 28160 (Spindale, $40,868) are 15.8 miles apart — a 1.7× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.9× across this county — from $164,000 in 28160 (Spindale) to $470,700 in 28746 (Lake Lure).
Density varies 19× across the county — from 33 people/sq mi in 28167 (Union Mills) to 624 in 28160 (Spindale).
Educational attainment ranges from 14.6% bachelor's+ in 28160 (Spindale) to 46.2% in 28746 (Lake Lure) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #44 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #74 for median household income .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $51,313 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
22.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (10,005 of 45,523 reporting).
7 Standard delivery, 5 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28043 | Forest City | Standard | 20,930 | $42,276 | 67.1 | -5.1% |
| 28139 | Rutherfordton | Standard | 20,008 | $56,558 | 181.8 | 3.7% |
| 28040 | Ellenboro | Standard | 6,961 | $58,816 | 67.7 | -11.6% |
| 28018 | Bostic | Standard | 5,034 | $50,727 | 99.0 | -8.7% |
| 28160 | Spindale | Standard | 3,665 | $40,868 | 5.9 | -4.4% |
| 28746 | Lake Lure | Standard | 2,744 | $70,469 | 45.4 | 23.1% |
| 28167 | Union Mills | Standard | 2,253 | $59,732 | 69.1 | -7.8% |
| 28720 | Chimney Rock | PO Box | 138 | $63,438 | 0.1 | 24.3% |
| 28076 | Henrietta | PO Box | 105 | — | 0.0 | -87.6% |
| 28024 | Cliffside | PO Box | 31 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 28074 | Harris | PO Box | 15 | — | 0.0 | — |
| 28019 | Caroleen | PO Box | 0 | — | 0.0 | — |