North Carolina · Census place 38860
Locust, NC population, income and ZIP codes
Quick answer
The population of the city of Locust, North Carolina (Locust, NC — Census place “Locust city”) is 5,529 residents, ranking #154 of 777 places in North Carolina. Median household income is $78,280, the median home is worth $285,800 and median gross rent runs $887 a month. Looking for the Locust North Carolina ZIP code list? 1 ZIP codes serve Locust, NC: 28097.
- Population
- 5,529Locust city residents
- Median household income
- $78,280Past 12 months, inflation adjusted
- Median home value
- $285,800Owner-occupied units
- Median gross rent
- $887Rent plus utilities, monthly
- Median age
- 35.4 yrsAll residents
- Homeownership rate
- 88.1%Owner-occupied households
Locust ZIP codes (North Carolina)
Census ZCTAs whose delivery area overlaps Locust.
The Locust NC ZIP code list below covers 1 ZIP code. Open any one for its population, income, housing and rent profile.
What the numbers mean in Locust city
Housing cost measured against local earnings.
A household earning the Locust city median would spend about 13.6% of gross income on the median rent. The 30% mark is the federal threshold for cost burden, so anything above it signals a stretched rental market. The median home costs 3.7× the median household income; nationally that ratio sits near 4.5×. Poverty affects 8.2% of residents and 88.1% of households own their home.
Source: US Census Bureau, ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates · rates as published for 2019-2023 ACS 5-year
Locust city, NC in context
How this area compares with national benchmarks.
Locust city is a mid-size town in North Carolina, with 5,529 residents counted in the Census American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, which places it #154 of 777 ranked by population — larger than 80% of them. The median age here is 35.4 years against 39.1 nationally, a slightly younger profile than the country as a whole. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.
Households in Locust city earn a median of $78,280 a year, essentially level with the national figure of $78,538 and 28% above the $61,228 median for the 459 North Carolina cities we cover. Household income here is measured before tax and pooled across everyone at the address, which is why it reads higher than typical individual earnings in the same area. Poverty reaches 8.2% of residents here, below the 12.4% national rate.
The typical owner-occupied home in Locust city is valued at $285,800, 5.8% below the national figure and 30% above the $219,800 peer median, while median gross rent runs $887 a month, 36.9% below the national figure, or roughly $10,644 across a full year. A household on the local median income would put about 13.6% of gross pay toward that rent against the federal 30% cost-burden threshold, so renting here is cheap relative to what people here earn. The home-price-to-income ratio works out to 3.7×, against roughly 3.9× nationally, so buying is easier here than in the average US market. 88.1% of occupied homes are owner-occupied versus 65% nationally, an owner-dominated market where rental listings are scarce and rent medians rest on a thin sample. Rent is reported gross — contract rent plus tenant-paid utilities — which is why it runs above the advertised price on a listing for the same unit.
Every value on this page is published directly by the Census for this area — nothing is modelled or interpolated. Small-area estimates still carry wider margins of error than state or national figures, so check the linked ACS tables before relying on them for lending, appraisal or legal work.
Compare with nearby places
Places of similar size in North Carolina.
- Bessemer City city 5,508
- Moyock CDP 5,669
- Wrightsboro CDP 5,434
- Nashville town 5,672
- Cramerton town 5,376
- Angier town 5,746
- Williamston town 5,157
- Walkertown town 5,793
Keep going
More North Carolina coverage.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- What is the population of Locust city?
- Locust city has 5,529 residents on Census ACS 2019-2023 ACS 5-year estimates, ranking #154 of 777 in North Carolina.
- What is the median household income in Locust city?
- Median household income in Locust city is $78,280 a year, essentially level with the national figure of $78,538.
- How much does it cost to rent or buy in Locust city?
- Median gross rent is $887 a month and the median home value is $285,800, so rent absorbs about 13.6% of median household income.
- Is Locust city affordable compared with the rest of the US?
- Homes cost about 3.7× the local median income here versus roughly 3.9× nationally, so Locust city is more affordable to buy in than the typical US market, and rent takes 13.6% of median income against the 30% cost-burden line.
- How current is this Locust city data?
- All figures come from the US Census Bureau American Community Survey 2019-2023 ACS 5-year five-year estimates. Places under 65,000 residents only appear in the five-year release, never the one-year file, so these values pool sixty months of responses and lag the current year by design.