| City: | Hickory, North Carolina |
| County: | Catawba County |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 8:02:08 PM |
| Population: | No Population Data |
| Area Code: | 828 |
| Classification: | PO Box |
| Coordinates: | 35.7334, -81.3416 |
| Quick Link: |
ZIP 28603 serves as Hickory's PO Box hub, maintaining 1,654 boxes for downtown businesses and residents who prefer centralized mail service. The post office sits in Catawba County, handling mail for 974 businesses while nearby ZIP 28602 provides street delivery to residential neighborhoods.
This isn't a geographic area with houses and streets. It's a postal designation covering three limited carrier routes: Government Ave SW with units, 16th St NE with units, and US Highway 70. Most Hickory residents get street delivery through the standard ZIP 28602, but those wanting PO Box service use 28603. The classification reflects how USPS organizes downtown business mail, not a community boundary.
The three streets show this is a downtown postal hub rather than a residential area. Government Ave SW dominates with 204 delivery points including units, likely serving government buildings and downtown offices. The numbered street (16th St NE) and highway designation confirm an urban center location.
ZIP Code 28603 supports both business and residential activity. According to the Business Census (2024), there are 70 business establishments, employing about 3,932 people with an annual payroll of $258,114,000. USPS data shows 0 residential mailboxes and 1 business mailboxes, reflecting local delivery coverage.
| # Residential Mailboxes: | 0Source: USPS |
| # Business Mailboxes: | 1Source: USPS |
| Total Delivery Receptacles: | 5,529Source: USPS |
| Single Family Delivery Units: | 0Source: USPS |
| Multi Family Delivery Units: | 0Source: USPS |
| # of Businesses: | 70Source: CBP |
| 1st Quarter Payroll: | $74,541,000Source: CBP |
| Annual Payroll: | $258,114,000Source: CBP |
| # of Employees: | 3,932Source: CBP |
ZIP Code 28603 is located in Catawba County, North Carolina, within the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area (CBSA 25860) and North Carolina's 10th Congressional District. This Metro area has a population of 365,497 people, about 0.00% of whom live in ZIP Code 28603. It covers 0 sq mi of land and a water area of 0 sq mi.
| CBSA Name: | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NCSource: Census |
| CBSA Number: | 25860Source: Census |
| CBSA Type: | MetroSource: Census |
| CBSA Division: | --Source: Census |
| CBSA Population: | 365,497Source: Census |
| MSA: | Hickory-Morganton-Lenoir, NC MSASource: Census |
| Land Area: | --Source: Census |
| Water Area: | --Source: Census |
| Congressional District: | 10Source: USPS |
| Congressional Land Area: | 2575.16 sq miSource: Census |
| PMSA: | --Source: Census |
| Intro Date: | < 2004-10Source: ZIP-Codes.com |
| Place FIPS Code: | 3731060Source: Census |
| Place Name: | Hickory city; North CarolinaSource: Census |
We could not locate which school district 28603 belongs to, but we will update this once new district data is released. There are no public schools nor private schools with a mailing address in this ZIP Code. Listing Nearby schools instead. It also has 6 colleges, universities or post secondary education institutions nearby which would be a short commute to.
Our sources include trusted federal and licensed data from the United States Postal Service, U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Geological Survey, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and the National Center for Education Statistics, along with proprietary datasets created by ZIP-Codes.com. Data last updated on February 1, 2026.