28540 — Jacksonville, North Carolina
Area Profile
Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 28540. Its median household income runs 14% above Jacksonville as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.
How this area ranks
Data updated · 14 sourcesEmployment conditions sit below most comparable ZIP areas measured: unemployment is 5.5% and the Opportunity signal places 28540 in the bottom 3%. The unemployment rate is published for Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, rather than for 28540 alone.
In the public schools here, 34% of students met the state standard in mathematics, with 15.3 students for every teacher.
Development activity is both elevated and accelerating — 541 housing units permitted over the past twelve months, against 83 the year before. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, rather than for 28540 alone.
These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.
At a glance
Jobs & opportunity
Unemployment across Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, is 5.5% — higher than in all but 14% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.
Employment across Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, fell 3.4% over the past year, to 16,904 employed residents.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income of new arrivalsOnslow County, NC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $53,506 | 17th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Income of those who leftOnslow County, NC’s figurefiling years 2022–2023 | $52,263 | 13th percentileof 2,996 | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Median household income ±$3,7862024 ACS 5-Year | $65,625 | Bottom 40%of 31,049 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income ±$1,9752024 ACS 5-Year | $31,632 | Bottom 32%of 32,822 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 16.2% | Bottom 26%of 32,846 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Average commute ±1.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year | 25.2 min | Top 36%of 32,887 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 24.3% | Top 47%of 33,193 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 69.1% | 28th percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| EmploymentJacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | 16,904 | Bottom 14%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (3 years)Jacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | −6.6% | Bottom 2%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year)Jacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | −3.4% | Bottom 5%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor forceJacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | 17,886 | 14th percentileof 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Labor force participation ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 71.3% | Bottom 27%of 32,883 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Mean annual wageJacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $51,170 | Bottom 3%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Median annual wageJacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS | $40,230 | Bottom 3%of 2,760 | 2025 OEWS |
| Public transit to work ±0.1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.0% | 1st percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment change (year over year)Jacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | −0.3% | Top 38%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Unemployment rateJacksonville, NC’s figureJuly 2026 | 5.5% | Bottom 14%of 3,127 | July 2026 |
| Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 10.0% | 52nd percentileof 32,798 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
Median household income, successive ACS releases
Largest occupations — Jacksonville, NC
| Occupation | People employed | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 2,040 | $29,480 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,900 | $27,330 |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 1,830 | $22,900 |
| Cashiers | 1,630 | $26,380 |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 1,330 | $33,880 |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,140 | $28,870 |
Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.
Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Jacksonville, NC, the city containing this ZIP code.
34% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 42% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.
There are 15.3 students for every full-time teacher across 15 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.
| School | District | Students | Per teacher | Math | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville High | Onslow County Schools | 1,441 | 18.5 | 42% | 51% |
| Southwest High | Onslow County Schools | 803 | 19.1 | 32% | 37% |
| Southwest Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 720 | 14.1 | 34% | 39% |
| Northwoods Park Middle | Onslow County Schools | 633 | 16.7 | 28% | 43% |
| Bell Fork Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 551 | 14.5 | 38% | 41% |
| Clear View Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 535 | 15.3 | — | — |
| Meadow View Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 520 | 14.1 | 38% | 36% |
| Southwest Middle | Onslow County Schools | 510 | 15.0 | 26% | 41% |
| Blue Creek Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 498 | 13.5 | 24% | 34% |
| New Bridge Middle | Onslow County Schools | 482 | 16.6 | 42% | 59% |
| Summersill Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 482 | 12.1 | 39% | 44% |
| Parkwood Elementary | Onslow County Schools | 457 | 14.3 | 46% | 48% |
58.5% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.
Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against North Carolina’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.
Housing & affordability
How it’s calculated — housing affordability →Prices for everything a household buys run about 8% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 91.8, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Jacksonville, NC Metro Area is up 58% over five years, and up 3.8% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.
Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,513 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.68% of the median home value.
HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,173, some 8% above the $1,091 tenants already here pay.
At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,173 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $46,900 a year, about 71% of the median household income here of $65,625.
The typical renter household here spends 28% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,091 a month.
A median home at $223,800 costs 2.6 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $86,038, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.
Prices here run about 8% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.
Published for the Jacksonville, NC Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.
The figures above are measured against 28540’s median household income of $65,625, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living indexthe Jacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2023 | 91.8 | Top 18%of 2,737 | 2023 |
| Home price change (1 year)the Jacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +3.8% | 65th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (5 years)the Jacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +58.3% | 93rd percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price change (10 years)the Jacksonville, NC Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2 | +113.1% | 78th percentileof 3,071 | 2026 Q2 |
| Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year | 2.6 | Top 46%of 29,275 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year | 61.8% | 18th percentileof 32,750 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units ±1,0282024 ACS 5-Year | 21,131 | 97th percentileof 33,460 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Market rent, one bedroomFY2026 | $935 | Top 22%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, three bedroomFY2026 | $1,631 | Top 32%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Market rent, two bedroomFY2026 | $1,173 | Top 24%of 3,031 | FY2026 |
| Median gross rent ±$752024 ACS 5-Year | $1,091 | Bottom 43%of 26,396 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value ±$10,8412024 ACS 5-Year | $223,800 | 51st percentileof 30,812 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median property taxes ±$902024 ACS 5-Year | $1,513 | 37th percentileof 28,935 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Owner household income ±$6,3972024 ACS 5-Year | $86,038 | Top 46%of 29,802 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.68% | 30th percentileof 24,099 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year | 28.4% | Bottom 49%of 26,247 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Seasonal and second homes ±452024 ACS 5-Year | 53 | 64th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year | 0.3% | 35th percentileof 32,961 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year | 9.6% | 65th percentileof 32,788 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Vacant housing units ±4712024 ACS 5-Year | 2,083 | 97th percentileof 33,772 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.
Growth & development
How it’s calculated — growth →Development Momentum
An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.
80% of the 541 units permitted over the past twelve months are in buildings of five or more homes, so new supply is concentrated in apartments and condominiums rather than detached houses. The multifamily share is published for Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, rather than for 28540 alone.
At 7.6 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Jacksonville, NC, which contains 28540, rather than for 28540 alone.
People moving in and out
Where newcomers came from
- San Diego County, CA 1,098 people · 5.3% of arrivals
- Pender County, NC 675 people · 3.2% of arrivals
- Carteret County, NC 472 people · 2.3% of arrivals
- Craven County, NC 459 people · 2.2% of arrivals
- New Hanover County, NC 457 people · 2.2% of arrivals
Where people who left went
- San Diego County, CA 951 people · 4.7% of departures
- Pender County, NC 608 people · 3.0% of departures
- Craven County, NC 386 people · 1.9% of departures
- New Hanover County, NC 372 people · 1.8% of departures
- Carteret County, NC 351 people · 1.7% of departures
Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Onslow County, NC. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.
The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Jacksonville, NC, the city containing this ZIP code.
Weather & climate
7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 89°F and January a low of 35°F.
Normal annual precipitation is 56.5 inches.
Precipitation
| Metric | Value | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals | 56.5" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals | 0.6" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low1991-2020 Normals | 35°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average July high1991-2020 Normals | 89°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals | 7 | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals | 35°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.
Physical risk
The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are hurricane, inland flooding and tornado, with hurricane alone responsible for 79% of it. Inland flooding and tornado are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.
Low or minimal exposure: winter weather, heat wave, wildfire, tornado, strong wind, inland flooding, ice storm, earthquake, cold wave, hail, landslide, drought, tsunami, volcanic activity, avalanche.
Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.
These are deaths, not offenses — they say nothing about burglary, theft or assault.
Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.
Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around 28540 (Onslow County) rather than 28540 itself. They are shown and not scored. How to read death rates.
What this profile does not cover
Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.
- Reported crime
- Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Jacksonville carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
- Air quality
- The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
- Taxes
- Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
- Anything about a specific address
- Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.
Access
2 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Wilmington Intl at 40 miles.
| Metric | Value | Compared nationally | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broadband access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year | 91.5% | Top 39%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Distance to major airportNASR current cycle | 40 mi | Bottom 20%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle | 2 | Bottom 9%of 3,127 | NASR current cycle |
| No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year | 5.2% | Top 34%of 32,663 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Airport | Code | Distance | Longest runway |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Intl | ILM | 40 mi | 8,016 ft |
| Kinston Rgnl Jetport At Stallings Fld | ISO | 41 mi | 11,498 ft |
| Raleigh-Durham Intl | RDU | 107 mi | 10,000 ft |
Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.
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Similar places
Matched on AreaProfile signals, not geographyData & methodology
| Used for | Source | Source period |
|---|---|---|
| Access | Federal Aviation Administration Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service | NASR current cycle |
| Physical risk | Federal Emergency Management Agency National Risk Index | National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0) |
| Demographics, Income | Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county) | filing years 2022–2023 |
| Climate | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly) | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Housing | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional price parities and county personal income | 2023 |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | 2025 OEWS |
| Jobs | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Local Area Unemployment Statistics | July 2026 |
| Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, Jobs | U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File) | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Development | U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Demographics | U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program | July 1, 2024 estimate |
| Safety | U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics Provisional county-level mortality by intent | March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026 |
| Schools | U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments | 2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year |
| Housing | U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research Fair Market Rents | FY2026 |
| Housing | U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions) | 2026 Q2 |
| Current conditions | NOAA National Weather Service National Weather Service current conditions | Live observation, read when the page opens |
Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.
28540 vs Jacksonville
How this ZIP area compares with Jacksonville as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.
Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.