ZIP 28761

28761 is one of 4 ZIP codes that lie mostly in McDowell County, NC — 71% of its own area is in the county.

Shaded by typical home value, it ranks 1 of the 3 with a value.

1 school location in 28761: 1 elementary.

In alphabetical order: Nebo Elementary School. Locations only — no ratings are shown here.

In January 2016 the typical home in 28761 was worth $209,865.

Values peaked at $382,226 in March 2025. The latest reading is −1.6% from that peak.

As of August 2026: $376,235, −0.1% over twelve months.

Start with the typical home: $376,235. Put 20% down and borrow $300,988 at 7.40%, the 30-year fixed average as of October 8, 2026.

That is $2,084 a month in principal and interest.

The median household here earns $68,152 a year, $5,679 a month. So the payment takes 36.7% of income — rated “severe” (Lotvox ZIP bands: under 28% affordable · 28–36% stretched · 36%+ severe).

The line holds today's rate fixed and moves only the price: at that rate, the same share was 20.5% in 2016.

Take the typical home's price each month, borrow 80% at that month's actual 30-year average rate: in January 2016 (3.87%) the payment was $789.

In December 2020, with rates at 2.68%, it was $907.

By August 2026, at 6.67%, it was $1,936 — +113% since December 2020, while the home's value moved +34%.

Reported values rose +79% since January 2016.

General prices (CPI-U) rose +41% over the same span.

Divide one by the other: in August 2026 dollars, the 2016 home was worth $295,063. So the real change is +28%, not +79%.

28761: +79% since January 2016.

McDowell County: +83% since January 2016.

North Carolina: +98% since January 2016 — 28761 ran behind it by 18 points.

Owning the typical home costs about $2,460 a month once taxes and insurance (estimated at 1.2% of price a year) are added. Renting runs about $578 a month.

Price divided by a year's rent: 54.2. Lotvox reads under 15 as favoring buying and 20 or more as favoring renting.

Picture the Listings Flow Ladder as a basin: new listings pour in from the faucet, the homes for sale are the water, and closed sales run out the drain. Coming in — new listings: about 21 a month (Redfin, 3-month rolling data through August 2026).

On the shelf — homes for sale at the end of the period: 89.

Going out — closed sales: about 14 a month.

The ladder: homes for sale ÷ monthly sales = 6.2 months of supply — above the 4–6 month balanced range. In the basin, that is the water level against the shaded balanced band.

The net reading: about 6 more homes came on than sold each month, so inventory is growing. The basin is filling.

Homes sold: about 14 a month in August 2026 (Redfin).

The 2015–2019 level for the same month was 8 — so sales ran at 175% of it, and below it in 3 of the last 24 months.

Across McDowell County, builders pulled permits for 164 new homes in 2025.

Of those, 100% were in 1-unit buildings (the Census Bureau's category for detached and attached single homes).

This ZIP sits in McDowell County. IRS tax returns for 2022-2023: among the ten counties sending the most households, 443 moved in. Among the ten receiving the most, 452 moved out.

Net across those counties: −9 households. Beside it, homes for sale in this ZIP: 89 in June 2026.

Most arrivals came from Buncombe, NC (218 households); most departures went to Burke, NC (169).