Postal Codes

27581 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 27581 covers Stem, North Carolina, with a population of about 3,941 and a median household income of $68,235.

Population
3,941109 per square mile
Median age
33.94.8 points below the US average
Median household income
$68,235about the North Carolina median
Poverty rate
9%3.4 points below the US average
Typical home value
$318,170up 29.9% in five years
Median rent
$1,1015% below the North Carolina median
Degree or higher
21.2%13.8 points below the US average
Homeownership
88.4%23.4 points above the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
34

Where 27581 is

Stem, North Carolina — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population3,941
Median age33.9
Family households78.8%
Born outside the US5.2%
Speaks a language other than English at home6.7%
White (non-Hispanic)66.6%
Black (non-Hispanic)14.7%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0.2%
Hispanic or Latino13.1%
Veterans7.8%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$68,235
Income per person$33,408
Poverty rate9%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance10.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k0.1%
$10–15k1.5%
$15–20k2.3%
$20–25k2.9%
$25–30k3.8%
$30–35k1.8%
$35–40k4.1%
$40–45k7.8%
$45–50k11.6%
$50–60k9.0%
$60–75k10.2%
$75–100k9.4%
$100–125k16.6%
$125–150k4.1%
$150–200k6.3%
$200k or more8.5%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed1,780
Mean adjusted gross income$68,816
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.4%
Returns, under $25k21.9%
Returns, $25k–$50k24.7%
Returns, $50k–$75k19.1%
Returns, $75k–$100k14.0%
Returns, $100k–$200k16.9%
Returns, $200k or more3.4%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$214,000
Median gross rent$1,101
Rent as a share of household income31.4%
Owner-occupied88.4%
Vacant homes5.4%
Median year built1999

What the homes are

Detached house78.5%
Attached house0.1%
Mobile home21.3%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$318,170as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 1.1%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 29.9%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 107.1%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$318,170$113,813

$113,813 in 2000 to $318,170 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate1.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher21.2%
High school diploma or higher91.1%
Works from home8.3%
Drives to work alone82.2%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more11%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity34.3% 0.9 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes11.1% 0.9 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes15.2% 2 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure36.1% 2 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health18.7% 1.6 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)10% 1.3 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.7% 3.8 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity23.5% 1.9 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis27% 1.9 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking15.6% same as the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication75.9% 1.2 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)7.8% same as the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.4% 1 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease6.1% same as the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year79.1% 2.4 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening87.6% 1.7 pts above the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability15.4% 0.6 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening65.8% 1.5 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD7.2% 0.6 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist65% 3.7 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability31.1% same as the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support22.8% 2 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity14.4% 2.7 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps11.3% 3 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability6.9% same as the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol36.1% same as the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity12% 1.8 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability8.1% same as the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport7.9% 1.3 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness32.6% 1.8 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use78.4% 2.5 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17.6% 0.8 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability13.6% same as the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)13.1% same as the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3.9% same as the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat7.8% 1 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours33.5% 2.9 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.4% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost17.3% 4.3 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.9% 0.7 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments34
People employed116
Annual payroll$4,630,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 77.5% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate
Expected annual loss67.7 out of 100
Community resilience41.7 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Drought95.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather92.8Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane89.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding84.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail83.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado82.1Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave80.1Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning78.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide76.5Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire75.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind74.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm69.5Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake58Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave36.7Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with North Carolina and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPNorth CarolinaUnited States
Median household income$68,235$69,904$78,538
Income per person$33,408$39,616$43,289
Poverty rate9%13.2%12.4%
Median home value$214,000$259,400$303,400
Median gross rent$1,101$1,162$1,348
Homeownership88.4%66.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher21.2%34.7%35%
Unemployment rate1.5%4.8%5.2%
Works from home8.3%14.5%13.5%
Born outside the US5.2%8.7%13.9%
Median age33.939.138.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationOXFORD AG, NC US15.3 km away
Rain in a year47 in

Average high and low by month

January48.9°F / 29.5°F3.32 in rain
February52.3°F / 32°F2.81 in rain
March60.5°F / 38.5°F4.63 in rain
April70.5°F / 47.6°F3.72 in rain
May77.8°F / 57.2°F3.52 in rain
June85.1°F / 65.5°F5.01 in rain
July89°F / 69.5°F4.27 in rain
August87°F / 67.9°F4.77 in rain
September79.6°F / 61.4°F4.33 in rain
October70.6°F / 49.2°F3.18 in rain
November60.3°F / 39.5°F3.38 in rain
December51.7°F / 33.6°F3.62 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarket12% of this ZIP code's area
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Granville County Schools100% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability42more vulnerable than 42% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status32more vulnerable than 32% of US census tracts
Household characteristics62more vulnerable than 62% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status43more vulnerable than 43% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport46more vulnerable than 46% of US census tracts
Walkability3.7 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

27509 Butner, NC8 km away
27522 Creedmoor, NC9.2 km away
27503 Bahama, NC15.8 km away
27572 Rougemont, NC16.7 km away
27565 Oxford, NC17.6 km away
27702 Durham, NC20.5 km away
27709 Durham, NC20.5 km away
27710 Durham, NC20.5 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Granville County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area36.19 sq mi
Water area0.64 sq mi
Population density109 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude36.1999, -78.7222

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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