Postal Codes

27603 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 27603 covers Raleigh, North Carolina, with a population of about 53,835 and a median household income of $87,939.

Population
53,8351,047 per square mile
Median age
34.83.9 points below the US average
Median household income
$87,9391.3× the North Carolina median
Poverty rate
12.7%about the US average
Typical home value
$416,830up 20.1% in five years
Median rent
$1,4961.3× the North Carolina median
Degree or higher
48.1%13.1 points above the US average
Homeownership
60.9%4.1 points below the US average
Time zone
Eastern UTC-05:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
1,810

Where 27603 is

Raleigh, 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

Population53,835
Median age34.8
Family households57.9%
Born outside the US9.9%
Speaks a language other than English at home15.1%
White (non-Hispanic)62%
Black (non-Hispanic)16.6%
Asian (non-Hispanic)2.1%
Hispanic or Latino14.5%
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$87,939
Income per person$48,746
Poverty rate12.7%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance6.4%

Household income distribution

Under $10k4.1%
$10–15k2.7%
$15–20k3.0%
$20–25k3.4%
$25–30k3.1%
$30–35k2.9%
$35–40k3.2%
$40–45k3.1%
$45–50k3.4%
$50–60k5.7%
$60–75k7.7%
$75–100k14.3%
$100–125k8.2%
$125–150k8.7%
$150–200k12.1%
$200k or more14.5%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed25,800
Mean adjusted gross income$87,819
Returns declaring $200,000 or more8.1%
Returns, under $25k24.8%
Returns, $25k–$50k21.6%
Returns, $50k–$75k15.3%
Returns, $75k–$100k10.3%
Returns, $100k–$200k19.8%
Returns, $200k or more8.1%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$347,000
Median gross rent$1,496
Rent as a share of household income30%
Owner-occupied60.9%
Vacant homes9.9%
Median year built1998

What the homes are

Detached house59.1%
Attached house7%
2 to 4 units3.3%
5 to 19 units9.1%
20 or more units16.5%
Mobile home4.8%
Boat, RV or van0%
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$416,830as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yeardown 2.4%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 20.1%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 81.2%
Typical asking rent$1,723as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yearup 0.2%
Typical asking rent, 5 yearsup 18.2%
Typical asking rent, 10 yearsup 51.9%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$437,742$171,169

$171,169 in 2000 to $416,830 in 2026.

Typical asking rent
201620212026$1,723$1,134

$1,134 in 2016 to $1,723 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate3.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher48.1%
High school diploma or higher93.7%
Works from home23.1%
Drives to work alone66.4%
Takes public transport0.4%
Commutes 45 minutes or more16.8%
Health

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

Obesity31% 2.4 pts below the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes9.1% 2.9 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes11.4% 1.8 pts below the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure30.8% 3.3 pts below the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health15.7% 4.6 pts below the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)10.1% 1.2 pts below the national average of 11.3%
Depression25.2% 3.3 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity19.5% 5.9 pts below the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis20.2% 4.9 pts below the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking16.1% same as the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication70.7% 4 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)6% 1.7 pts below the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma10.5% same as the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease4.5% 1.7 pts below the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year78% 1.3 pts above the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening85.7% same as the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability14.5% same as the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening66.4% 2.1 pts above the national average of 64.3%
COPD5% 1.6 pts below the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist65.6% 4.3 pts above the national average of 61.3%
Any disability26.6% 4.1 pts below the national average of 30.7%
Lacks emotional support21.2% 3.6 pts below the national average of 24.8%
Food insecurity13.6% 3.5 pts below the national average of 17.1%
Received food stamps10.7% 3.6 pts below the national average of 14.3%
Hearing disability5.4% 1.3 pts below the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol31.9% 4.3 pts below the national average of 36.2%
Housing insecurity11.2% 2.6 pts below the national average of 13.8%
Independent living disability7% 1.4 pts below the national average of 8.4%
Lacks transport8% 1.2 pts below the national average of 9.2%
Loneliness33.1% 1.3 pts below the national average of 34.4%
Mammography use77.9% 2 pts above the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)17% same as the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability10.1% 3.9 pts below the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)10.2% 3.3 pts below the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability3.1% 0.9 pts below the national average of 4%
Utility shut-off threat7.4% 1.4 pts below the national average of 8.8%
Sleeps under 7 hours32.8% 3.6 pts below the national average of 36.4%
Stroke2.6% 0.8 pts below the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost11.6% 1.4 pts below the national average of 13%
Vision disability4.4% 1.2 pts below the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments1,810
People employed25,476
Annual payroll$1,558,152,000
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 29.7% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively Moderate across the 23 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss45.2 out of 100
Community resilience78.1 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.

Hail79.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide69.8Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought68.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane66.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire62.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave58.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado53.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm52.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding51.6Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake42.2Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather41.3Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Lightning38.9Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave34.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind18Relatively Moderate 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$87,939$69,904$78,538
Income per person$48,746$39,616$43,289
Poverty rate12.7%13.2%12.4%
Median home value$347,000$259,400$303,400
Median gross rent$1,496$1,162$1,348
Homeownership60.9%66.4%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher48.1%34.7%35%
Unemployment rate3.9%4.8%5.2%
Works from home23.1%14.5%13.5%
Born outside the US9.9%8.7%13.9%
Median age34.839.138.7
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 stationRALEIGH 4 SW, NC US3.5 km away
Rain in a year50 in

Average high and low by month

January53.7°F / 32.9°F3.92 in rain
February57.6°F / 35°F3.06 in rain
March64.7°F / 40.7°F4.2 in rain
April73.9°F / 49.3°F3.79 in rain
May80.2°F / 58°F3.78 in rain
June86.7°F / 66.2°F5.67 in rain
July90°F / 69.6°F4.67 in rain
August88.3°F / 68.5°F5.43 in rain
September83.1°F / 62.9°F5.09 in rain
October73.9°F / 51.3°F3.87 in rain
November63.5°F / 41.3°F3.41 in rain
December56°F / 35.7°F3.57 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 supermarket12% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket69% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket9% 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%.

This ZIP code is served by 2 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Wake County Schools95.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Johnston County Schools4.6% 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 vulnerability36more vulnerable than 36% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status40more vulnerable than 40% of US census tracts
Household characteristics39more vulnerable than 39% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport34more vulnerable than 34% of US census tracts
Walkability6.2 out of 20Below average
Nearby ZIP codes

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

27602 Raleigh, NC5.8 km away
27529 Garner, NC6.1 km away
27697 Raleigh, NC7.3 km away
27601 Raleigh, NC7.6 km away
27606 Raleigh, NC8 km away
27610 Raleigh, NC8.3 km away
27605 Raleigh, NC9.3 km away
27611 Raleigh, NC10.4 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.

Wake County95.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Johnston County4.6% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneEastern (UTC-05:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area51.41 sq mi
Water area0.13 sq mi
Population density1,047 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude35.7076, -78.6563

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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