Population & age
- Total population
- 574
- Median age
- 59.5
Avery County · Population 574
Linville, NC (ZIP 28646) sits in Avery County. The page draws on 1 federal data feed retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: High Blood Pressure comes in above the national average at 43.8%. No NCES schools are mapped to this ZIP in the current dataset. 9 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,646. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $44,456 per worker, roughly 32% below the US average. The CDC SVI flags housing & transportation (84th percentile) as this ZIP's standout vulnerability dimension, sitting well above its overall 51th-percentile score. FEMA has issued 22 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1977 — a high-frequency exposure profile. Annual precipitation averages 53.8" — a wet-climate ZCTA per NOAA's 1991–2020 Normals. IRS migration data (2022-2023) shows a net gain of 183 residents (70 households) — the ZIP's primary county is growing. Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $71,538, fair market rent of $1,030 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $1,335,925, up 3.8% over the past year. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
Studio
$760
/month
1 Bed
$820
/month
2 Bed
$1,030
/month
3 Bed
$1,260
/month
4 Bed
$1,610
/month
HUD Fair Market Rents represent the 40th percentile of standard-quality rental housing in this area. FY2026 data.
$1,335,925
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) · as of March 2026
+3.8%
vs. March 2025
+49.5%
vs. March 2021
Source: Zillow Research, ZHVI All Homes (SFR, Condo/Co-op) Time Series (zillow.com/research/data). Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) is copyrighted by Zillow, Inc.
New housing units permitted
95
Across 95 permitted buildings. Total construction value: $100.1M.
Single-family
95
100% of total units
Multifamily (2+ unit)
0
0% of total units
Single-family value
$100.1M
construction value
Multifamily value
$0
construction value
Based on county-level data (2024).
Source: U.S. Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (census.gov/construction/bps). Public domain. BPS reports annual residential building permits from local permit-issuing jurisdictions, aggregated to county. A permit reflects intent to build, not a completed unit — actual construction lags by 6-24 months for multifamily projects.
Business establishments
48
Total employment
763
Annual payroll
$43.3M
Average annual pay
$56,727
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Business Patterns (census.gov). Public domain. ZBP covers establishments with paid employees; Census suppresses employment and payroll values when fewer employers operate in a ZIP than would protect their confidentiality.
Average annual pay
$44,456
Average weekly wage
$855
Total employment
7,186
Total establishments
698
That is roughly 32% below the US national average of $65,470 per worker.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (bls.gov/cew). Public domain. QCEW is derived from state unemployment-insurance filings and covers ~95% of US jobs. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches; small-employer cells are suppressed by BLS to protect employer confidentiality.
Unemployment rate
4.3%
That is 0.3 percentage points above the US national unemployment rate of about 4.0%.
Labor force
7,408
Employed
7,090
Unemployed
318
Based on Avery County, NC data (2024).
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (bls.gov/lau). Public domain. LAUS publishes monthly and annual labor-force estimates for every US county. Figures are county-level totals assigned to ZIPs whose primary county matches.
Facilities located inside ZIP 28646 from CMS Provider Data. Star ratings reflect Overall Hospital Quality where applicable; “Not rated” means the facility didn't report enough measures to qualify.
Hospitals (2)
APPALACHIAN REGIONAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE
432 HOSPITAL DR, LINVILLE, NC, 28646
CHARLES A CANNON JR MEMORIAL HOSPITAL
434 HOSPITAL DRIVE, LINVILLE, NC, 28646
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Provider Data (data.cms.gov). Public domain.
Public EV charging stations
2
Limited EV charging
A small number of public charging stations — viable for EV ownership with home charging, but minimal redundancy.
Level 2 ports
4
AC charging — workplace, retail, home
DC Fast ports
0
Highway-class fast charging
Charging networks
Active public stations only. Snapshot taken 2026; AFDC's underlying registry refreshes continuously as stations open and close.
Source: U.S. Department of Energy via NREL (afdc.energy.gov). Per-ZIP counts of active public alternative-fuel stations (electric, hydrogen, propane, CNG, biodiesel, E85, LNG, renewable diesel) and EV charging-port totals.
Federally Declared Disasters
22
Date Range
1977–2026
Most Recent Declaration
SEVERE WINTER STORM
Winter Storm — declared January 24, 2026 (DR-3637)
Incident period: January 21, 2026 – January 27, 2026
Top Incident Types
Individual Assistance
5
Direct help to disaster survivors
Households Program
4
Housing & temporary lodging support
Public Assistance
22
Repair of public facilities & roads
Hazard Mitigation
8
Funding to reduce future disaster risk
FEMA declares disasters at the county level; counts here include every federally declared disaster touching any county that overlaps this ZIP. Statewide declarations and pre-1964 records without county granularity are excluded. Program flags reflect which FEMA assistance categories were activated (Individual Assistance, Households, Public Assistance, Hazard Mitigation). Source: fema.gov/openfema. Public domain.
30-year averages (1991-2020) from the nearest GHCN-D weather station. Temperature and precipitation values reflect typical annual conditions, not any single year.
Avg. temperature
50.1°F
40.2° – 59.9°
Annual precipitation
53.8"
Annual snowfall
31.4"
Heating · cooling days
5,689.8 · 267.7
Annual base 65°F
Nearest station: BANNER ELK, NC US, 6.3 miles from the centroid of Linville, NC (ZIP 28646)
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, 1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals (ncei.noaa.gov). Public domain.
Median daily AQI
38
GoodPeak AQI (2024)
90
Moderate
Primary pollutant
Ozone
192 days as main pollutant
Days measured
245
Based on Avery County data (2024).
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System (epa.gov). Public domain. Only counties with EPA AQS monitoring stations appear here (~30% of US counties); rural ZIPs whose primary county has no monitor will not show this section.
Years of potential life lost (per 100K)
9,111
That is roughly 911 years per 100,000 above the national county median (~8,200).
Premature death is the headline composite outcome CHR reports — age-adjusted, all-cause, before age 75.
Fair or poor health
17%
of adults self-report
Poor physical health days
4.2
avg per adult per month
Poor mental health days
5.2
avg per adult per month
Uninsured
15.7%
of residents under 65
Primary care MDs
22
per 100,000 residents
Preventable hospital stays
1,707
per 100K Medicare enrollees
Food environment (0-10)
8.1
10 = best access & security
Exercise access
100%
residents near a facility
Flu vaccinated
49%
of Medicare enrollees
Low birth weight (under 2,500 g) accounts for 8.9% of live births in this county — an early-life health input that downstream outcomes track against.
Based on Avery data (2025 CHR release).
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (countyhealthrankings.org). Annual release. Underlying source datasets vary by measure (CDC BRFSS, NCHS Vital Statistics, AHA, USDA Food Environment Atlas, and others). Figures are county-level and assigned to every ZIP whose primary county matches.
Food access status
Good food access — most residents near a store
0.3% of Avery County, NC residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.
Grocery stores
0.17
per 1,000 residents
Supercenters & clubs
—
per 1,000 residents
SNAP-authorized stores
0.96
accepting food benefits
Fast-food restaurants
0.68
per 1,000 residents
Per-1,000 figures show how many of each store type exist in Avery County, NC for every 1,000 residents. Higher grocery and supercenter density usually means easier access to fresh food; higher convenience-store-only density (with low grocery rate) often signals a food swamp.
Source: USDA Economic Research Service, Food Environment Atlas (ers.usda.gov). County-level metrics fanned to ZIP via the primary county in the Census ZCTA-county relationship file. Variable years differ per family (stores ~2020, low-access ~2019).
FBI publishes crime data at the county level. Numbers below cover the primary county that contains this ZIP. Rates are per 100,000 residents in the area covered by reporting agencies.
Violent crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 23 reports
Property crime rate
—
per 100K residents · 171 reports
Homicide
0
Robbery
1
Burglary
90
Vehicle theft
12
County-level data for Avery (2024)
Source: U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reporting Program (cde.ucr.cjis.gov). Public domain. Coverage varies by reporting agency; areas with partial agency coverage may understate true crime totals.
Net migration (2022-2023)
▲+183 people
+70 households • +$2.5M net AGI flow
Moved in
702households
1,205 people • $67.9M AGI
Moved out
632households
1,022 people • $65.3M AGI
Where new residents came from
Where departing residents went
Incoming households reported an average AGI of $96,719 versus departing households' $103,397.
Source: U.S. Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income, Migration Data (irs.gov). Public domain. Migration is measured by year-over-year changes in the address on individual tax returns; figures are county-level totals attributed to ZIPs whose primary county matches. Foreign migration contributes to inflow/outflow totals but does not appear in the top-county lists. Small flows are suppressed by IRS to protect taxpayer confidentiality.
State-level rules that apply to every resident of ZIP 28646. Numbers reflect the most recent published year per source.
Income tax
4.25%
flat · 1 brackets
Sales tax (combined)
7.00%
State 4.75% · avg local 2.25%
Property tax (effective)
0.48%
Median $1,058/year
Tax burden rank
21 of 50
9.60% of personal income
For ZIP 28646: Applied to this ZIP's typical home value of $1,335,925, that works out to roughly $6,358/year in property tax.
Program
No program
No program
SNAP eligibility
200% FPL
Broad-Based Categorical Eligibility (raises gross income limit above federal 130% floor). No asset test.
Sources: Tax Foundation (state tax rates & brackets), Bipartisan Policy Center (paid family leave), USDA FNS (SNAP categorical eligibility).
Nearby ZIPs by distance
28653 (3.1 mi) · 28662 (4.3 mi) · 28616 (Crossnore, 5.9 mi) · 28657 (Newland, 6.4 mi) · 28641 (7.3 mi) · 28604 (Beech Mountain, 7.3 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
All data on this page is sourced from federal government datasets · Not AI-generated · Methodology
Crude prevalence estimates from CDC PLACES, derived from BRFSS small-area modeling. Population-level figures only.
35.8%
2.8pp above the 33.0% national rate.
43.8%
11.8pp above the 32.0% national rate.
24.4%
2.4pp above the 22.0% national rate.
83.4%
7.4pp above the 76.0% national rate.
8.4%
4.6pp below the 13.0% national rate.
14.2%
3.2pp above the 11.0% national rate.
Colleges in this area
9
Median in-state tuition
$2,646
Median earnings (10 yr)
$35,853
Boone, NC · 28608
Hickory, NC · 28602
Hudson, NC · 28638
Statesville, NC · 28677
Hickory, NC · 28601
Wilkesboro, NC · 28697
Morganton, NC · 28655
Banner Elk, NC · 28604
Sugar Grove, NC · 28679
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (collegescorecard.ed.gov). Public domain data. Earnings figures reflect median earnings 10 years after entry for federally-aided students.
Linville, NC (ZIP 28646) sits in Avery County. The page draws on 1 federal data feed retrieved Apr 24. Top health signal: High Blood Pressure comes in above the national average at 43.8%. No NCES schools are mapped to this ZIP in the current dataset. 9 colleges and universities serve the area, with median in-state tuition of $2,646. BLS QCEW reports average annual pay of $44,456 per worker, roughly 32% below the US average. The CDC SVI flags housing & transportation (84th percentile) as this ZIP's standout vulnerability dimension, sitting well above its overall 51th-percentile score. FEMA has issued 22 federal disaster declarations affecting this ZIP since 1977 — a high-frequency exposure profile. Annual precipitation averages 53.8" — a wet-climate ZCTA per NOAA's 1991–2020 Normals. IRS migration data (2022-2023) shows a net gain of 183 residents (70 households) — the ZIP's primary county is growing. Healthcare access is the area's quieter strength; school options sit on the lighter side, so families may find themselves looking at districts a few ZIPs over. Notable: median household income $71,538, fair market rent of $1,030 for a two-bedroom, and a typical home value of $1,335,925, up 3.8% over the past year. Every figure on this page links to its underlying federal dataset with a retrieval date so you can audit the freshness yourself.
The two domains pull in different directions. Healthcare access reads strong, but the on-paper school count is on the lighter side — that’s less a quality signal and more a density one. Households here often look at districts a few ZIPs over for school choice while keeping their providers local.
One concrete reading worth keeping: Depression prevalence sits higher the national rate at 24.4%. Each figure on this page links to the original federal dataset with its retrieval date — this synthesis is a reading, not a substitute for the underlying records.
35.8%, which is 2.8 percentage points above the national average of 33.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
24.4%, which is 2.4 percentage points above the national average of 22.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
43.8%, which is 11.8 percentage points above the national average of 32.0% (CDC PLACES, retrieved Apr 24, 2026).
574 people live in ZIP 28646, with a median age of 59.5 (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
$71,538 per year (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 28646, 76.4% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 23.6% are renter-occupied (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
In ZIP 28646, 20.4% of workers work from home. Public transit is used by 0.0% of commuters (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
0.2% of the population in ZIP 28646 lives below the federal poverty line (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
86.0% of households in ZIP 28646 have broadband internet access (Census ACS 5-Year 2022, retrieved Apr 30, 2026).
The typical home value in ZIP 28646 is $1,335,925, up 3.8% from a year ago (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
Home values are up 3.8% over the past year and up 49.5% over the past five years (Zillow Home Value Index, retrieved May 1, 2026).
As of 2022, 48 business establishments operated in ZIP 28646 employing 763 workers (Census ZIP Business Patterns, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The average annual pay across all local establishments in ZIP 28646 is $56,727, based on Census ZIP Business Patterns 2022 data (retrieved May 3, 2026).
According to the CDC Social Vulnerability Index (2022), ZIP 28646 ranks in the 51th percentile nationally for social vulnerability — a high vulnerability profile (retrieved May 3, 2026).
Housing Type & Transportation is the highest-scoring CDC SVI theme for ZIP 28646, ranking in the 84th percentile nationally (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022, retrieved May 3, 2026).
FEMA has recorded 22 federal disaster declarations affecting ZIP 28646 between 1977–2026 (FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations, retrieved May 3, 2026).
Hurricane is the most common federally declared disaster type affecting ZIP 28646, accounting for 9 of 22 declarations (41%, FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
The most recent FEMA disaster declaration affecting ZIP 28646 was "SEVERE WINTER STORM" — a winter storm declared in 2026 (DR-3637) (FEMA OpenFEMA, retrieved May 3, 2026).
9 colleges and universities are listed near ZIP 28646 by the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, including Appalachian State University, Catawba Valley Community College, and Caldwell Community College And Technical Institute (retrieved May 2, 2026).
Median in-state tuition across 9 nearby institutions is $2,646 (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
Graduates of nearby colleges earn a median of $35,853 ten years after entry (College Scorecard, retrieved May 2, 2026).
ZIP 28646 has an average annual temperature of 50.1°F and 53.8" of annual precipitation based on the BANNER ELK, NC US weather station 6.3 miles from the ZIP centroid (NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals, retrieved May 8, 2026).
2 hospitals are located in ZIP 28646 (CMS Hospital Compare, 2024).
North Carolina has a flat income tax with a top rate of 4.25%. Combined sales tax: 7.00% (Tax Foundation 2025).
North Carolina has no state paid family leave program (Bipartisan Policy Center 2026).
This page covers health outcomes from CDC PLACES (40 metrics), demographics from the Census ACS 5-Year (2022), home values from the Zillow Home Value Index, colleges from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (9 institutions), local business & employment from Census ZIP Business Patterns (2022), social vulnerability scores from the CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022), federal disaster declarations from FEMA OpenFEMA (22 on record), climate normals from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020), county-level crime data from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024), hospitals from CMS Hospital Compare, and state-level tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Data is refreshed on Mubboo's standard schedule.
Health data retrieved Apr 24, 2026 from CDC PLACES. Demographics retrieved Apr 30, 2026 from Census ACS 5-Year (2022). Home values retrieved May 1, 2026 from Zillow Research. College data retrieved May 2, 2026 from U.S. Dept of Education College Scorecard. Business & employment retrieved May 3, 2026 from Census ZBP (2022). Social vulnerability scores retrieved May 3, 2026 from CDC/ATSDR SVI (2022). Federal disaster declarations retrieved May 3, 2026 from FEMA OpenFEMA (22 on record). Climate normals retrieved May 8, 2026 from NOAA NCEI (1991-2020). County-level crime data retrieved May 4, 2026 from the FBI Crime Data Explorer (2024). State-level tax rates retrieved 2026-05-05 15:58:22.284+00 from the Tax Foundation.
Nearby ZIPs by distance
28653 (3.1 mi) · 28662 (4.3 mi) · 28616 (Crossnore, 5.9 mi) · 28657 (Newland, 6.4 mi) · 28641 (7.3 mi) · 28604 (Beech Mountain, 7.3 mi)
Compare ZIP-level stats — population, schools, housing, climate — across nearby areas. Source: U.S. Census Bureau ZCTA basemap.
Have a specific question about ZIP 28646?
Ask Mubboo — launching Q4 2026.
Data refreshed via Mubboo's ETL pipeline; oldest source on this page retrieved Apr 24, 2026.
Social Vulnerability Index
Overall SVI
51st percentile
High Vulnerability
Based on 1 census tract, population 879
Vulnerability Themes
Households Without Vehicle
10
Persons with Disability
192
Without HS Diploma
36
Without Health Insurance
137
Adults Age 65+
280
The Social Vulnerability Index uses U.S. Census data to identify communities most at risk during public health emergencies and natural disasters. Higher percentiles indicate greater vulnerability. Tract-level scores are aggregated to this ZCTA via Census 2020 ZCTA→Tract crosswalk, weighted by land-area share. Source: atsdr.cdc.gov. Public domain.