ZIP Code Tabulation Area

28741

Highlands, NC · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
4,257
Median household income
$70,392
People below poverty
7.9%
Median home value
$631,000

Income

The median income of households in 28741 was $70,392. An estimated 7.2% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 18.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 7.2
$10,000 to $14,999 0.4
$15,000 to $24,999 7.4
$25,000 to $34,999 4.8
$35,000 to $49,999 8.2
$50,000 to $74,999 26.8
$75,000 to $99,999 7.7
$100,000 to $149,999 11.3
$150,000 to $199,999 7.7
$200,000 or more 18.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 66875
Female 64009

An estimated 62.5% of households received earnings. An estimated 46.1% of households received Social Security and an estimated 32.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $33,191. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 62.5
Social Security 46.1
Retirement income 32.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 0.6
Cash public assistance income 0.1

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 7.9 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 3.6% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 5.9% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 10.4% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 7.9
Children under 18 years below poverty 3.6
People 65 years old and over below poverty 5.9
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 10.4

In 2020-2024, 1.4 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 0% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 93.9% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 0% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 28741 in 2020-2024, 80.4% had health insurance coverage and 19.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 56.6% and public coverage was 51.3%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 35.7%.


In 2020-2024, 28741 had a total population of 4,257 - 1,913 (44.9%) females and 2,344 (55.1%) males. The median age was 63 years. An estimated 8.8% of the population was under 18 years, 18.2% was 19 to 44 years, 28% was 45 to 64 years, and 44.4 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for 28741 in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 57 47
5 to 9 142 0
10 to 14 34 40
15 to 19 31 53
20 to 24 100 36
25 to 29 62 183
30 to 34 150 38
35 to 39 103 34
40 to 44 32 35
45 to 49 117 106
50 to 54 77 73
55 to 59 155 70
60 to 64 359 231
65 to 69 200 335
70 to 74 245 360
75 to 79 225 169
80 to 84 176 62
85 and over 79 41

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 90.6% were White; 2.3% were Black or African American; 13.9% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.4% were Asian; 0.2% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 0.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 5.4% of the people in 28741 were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 90.4% of the people in 28741 were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 2,336 households in 28741. The average household size was 1.78 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.2% of the households in 28741 while cohabiting couple households made up 8.5% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 18.4% of all households, while 25.9% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 23% of households were male householders living alone, and 17% were female householders living alone, for a total of 40% of all households.

In 28741, 13.1% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 49% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.2
Cohabiting Couples 8.5
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
25.9
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.4

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 57.7% of males and 59.7% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 23 18.8
Now married, except separated 57.7 59.7
Separated 0.1 0.8
Widowed 1.7 9.1
Divorced 17.6 11.5

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In 28741, 24 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 20.8% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 94.2% of the people living in 28741 were U.S. natives. 27% of the 28741 population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 5.8% of 28741 residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 40.8% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 91.8 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of 28741 come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for 28741.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 50.2
Asia 10.6
Europe 20.4
Africa 11.8
Northern America 3.3
Oceania 3.7

Language

Among people at least five years old living in 28741 in 2020-2024, 4.3 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 3.4% of people at least five years old; 2.4% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 3.4
Other Indo-European languages 0.6
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 80.6 % of the people at least one year old living in 28741 were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 80.6
Different house, same county 10.5
Different county, same state 3
Different state 4.9
Abroad 1.1

Education

In 2020-2024, 91.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 50.7% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 8.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in 28741 was 473 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 26 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 267. College or graduate school enrollment was 180.

Educational Attainment of People in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 8.6
High school diploma or equivalency 16.2
Some college, no degree 20.3
Associate's degree 4.2
Bachelor's degree 28.8
Graduate or professional degree 21.9

Disability

In 28741, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 10.4 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 2.1% of people under 18 years old, to 5.8% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 16.9% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In 28741, 45.5 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 53.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 83.9% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 5.1% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 10.9 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 1,502 83.9
Federal, state, or local government workers 92 5.1
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 196 10.9

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in 28741 worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.8
Construction 8.2
Manufacturing 5.5
Wholesale trade 0.3
Retail trade 10.5
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 1.6
Information 1.5
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 8.5
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 15.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 9.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 27.2
Other Services, except public administration 9.2
Public administration 0.6

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in 28741 in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 665 37.2
Service occupations 489 27.3
Sales and office occupations 434 24.2
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 160 8.9
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 42 2.3

Commuting to Work

An estimated 70.3% of 28741 workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 8.1% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 16 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 70.3
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 8.1
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 6.7
Other means 0
Worked from home 14.9

In 2020-2024, 28741 had a total of 6,096 housing units. Of these housing units, 85.3% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 10.6% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 4% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 85.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 10.6
Mobile homes 4
Boat, RV, van, etc 0

6% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 3.6% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in 28741 was 5.2 rooms, and of these housing units 58.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, 28741 had 2,336 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 3,760 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 75.3% while renters occupied 24.7%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 1.94 and in renter-occupied houses it was 1.28.

3.5% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 8.4% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3.6% and another 18.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in 28741:

House Heating Fuel Used in 28741 in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 43.8
Electricity 47.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 2.3
All other fuels 6.5
No fuel used 0.3

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in 28741 was $631,000.

Of the owner-occupied households, 43.6 % had a mortgage. 56.4% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,723 and for owners without a mortgage it was $595.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for 28741 was $836. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.