The main ZIP code for Raleigh, North Carolina is 27601, which covers downtown. But a city of roughly half a million people does not fit in one code: 44 ZIP codes carry a Raleigh mailing address in total. Fifteen of them are standard geographic ZIP codes that map to real neighborhoods, from 27601 downtown to 27617 at the Brier Creek edge, and the rest are post office box and unique codes assigned to big institutions such as NC State University and state agencies. This guide lists every standard code by the part of Raleigh it covers, explains the extra codes, and flags the spots where a Raleigh ZIP does not mean what you would expect. If you are learning the city for a move, pair it with our guide to what cities are in Wake County for the full map of the area.
Quick answer: Downtown Raleigh’s ZIP code is 27601. Raleigh has 44 ZIP codes with a Raleigh mailing address: 15 standard neighborhood ZIP codes (27601, 27603, 27604, 27605, 27606, 27607, 27608, 27609, 27610, 27612, 27613, 27614, 27615, 27616, and 27617), plus 27602 for downtown post office boxes and 28 post office box and unique codes for institutions. North Raleigh runs mainly through 27609, 27612, 27613, 27614, and 27615. NC State University’s own mailing ZIP is 27695, and Raleigh-Durham International Airport uses 27623, a Morrisville code.
1. Every standard Raleigh ZIP code, by area
These are the 15 ZIP codes that cover Raleigh’s actual streets and neighborhoods, plus the post office box code you will see on downtown mail. Area descriptions combine postal reference data with the neighborhood names Raleigh residents actually use.
| ZIP code | Part of Raleigh | Known for |
| 27601 | Downtown | State Capitol, Fayetteville Street, the Warehouse District, Glenwood South edge, and Historic Oakwood |
| 27602 | Downtown (post office boxes) | PO Box addresses served by the downtown post office; not a neighborhood |
| 27603 | South-central Raleigh | Just south of downtown through the McCullers area, on the way toward Garner |
| 27604 | East and northeast Raleigh | Brentwood, the Neuse area, and Wake Crossroads toward Knightdale |
| 27605 | West of downtown, inside the Beltline | Cameron Village (the Village District), Boylan Heights, and the NC State main campus edge |
| 27606 | Southwest Raleigh | NC State Centennial Campus and the Lake Wheeler Road corridor |
| 27607 | West Raleigh | Hillsborough Street, NC State student housing areas, stretching toward Umstead State Park and the Cary line |
| 27608 | North of downtown, inside the Beltline | Five Points and Hayes Barton, two of Raleigh’s most established historic neighborhoods |
| 27609 | Midtown Raleigh | North Hills shopping and dining district along Six Forks Road |
| 27610 | Southeast and east Raleigh | The city’s most populous ZIP code, a large residential area east and southeast of downtown |
| 27612 | Northwest Raleigh | Crabtree Valley and the Duraleigh area along Glenwood Avenue |
| 27613 | Northwest Raleigh | The Leesville Road corridor and established subdivisions west of Creedmoor Road |
| 27614 | North Raleigh | Upper Six Forks Road, newer subdivisions, and the approach to Wake Forest |
| 27615 | Far north Raleigh | Falls of Neuse Road, the Falls River area, and the southern shore side of Falls Lake |
| 27616 | Northeast Raleigh | The Louisburg Road (US-401) corridor toward Rolesville |
| 27617 | Northwest edge | Brier Creek, beside Raleigh-Durham International Airport and the Durham County line |
2. Downtown and inside the Beltline: 27601, 27603, 27604, 27605, 27608
Raleigh locals divide the city by the I-440 Beltline, and the inside-the-Beltline ZIP codes are the historic core. 27601 is downtown proper: the Capitol, state government, Fayetteville Street, and the Warehouse District, plus Historic Oakwood’s Victorian streets on its eastern edge. 27605 wraps the western downtown edge with Cameron Village, Boylan Heights, and the foot of NC State’s main campus. 27608, just north, holds Five Points and Hayes Barton, the leafy streetcar-era neighborhoods that anchor Raleigh’s high-end historic market. 27603 runs south from downtown toward Garner, and 27604 covers the east side out to Brentwood and Wake Crossroads. Local guides group exactly these five codes as the inside-the-Beltline set, and they behave like it: more walkable, more historic, and priced accordingly, which our guide to what Raleigh is known for explores neighborhood by neighborhood.
3. North Raleigh: 27609, 27612, 27613, 27614, 27615
North Raleigh is the city’s suburban family belt, and its five ZIP codes each carry a distinct flavor. 27609 is Midtown, built around the North Hills district where Six Forks Road meets the Beltline. 27612 runs northwest around Crabtree Valley and Duraleigh. 27613 covers the Leesville Road corridor’s established subdivisions. 27614 takes the northern tier along upper Six Forks toward Wake Forest, with much of Raleigh’s newer large-lot construction. 27615 is the far north, along Falls of Neuse Road up to Falls Lake. Third-party ZIP data puts 27614 and 27613 among Raleigh’s highest-income codes, which tracks with what buyers find there: bigger homes, strong school assignments, and a straight shot down Six Forks or Creedmoor Road to Midtown. Our guide to where to live in Raleigh walks these areas in more depth.
4. West, south, and east: 27606, 27607, 27617, 27610, 27616
The remaining standard codes ring the rest of the compass. West Raleigh splits between 27607, the Hillsborough Street and NC State corridor that runs out toward Umstead State Park and the Cary line, and 27617, the Brier Creek area at the city’s northwest corner, where Raleigh meets Durham County and the airport. Southwest Raleigh is 27606, home to NC State’s Centennial Campus and the Lake Wheeler corridor. On the other side of the city, 27610 is Raleigh’s biggest ZIP by population, a broad residential area east and southeast of downtown (third-party data estimates put it at roughly 80,000 residents), and 27616 covers the northeast along Louisburg Road toward Rolesville. Notice how the numbers climb as you move away from downtown: it is a rough compass once you learn it, with the teens in the north and the single digits in the core.
5. The other 29 Raleigh ZIP codes: post office boxes and institutions
If Raleigh has 44 ZIP codes and only 15 cover neighborhoods, what are the other 29? Almost all of them are administrative. Some are post office box codes tied to specific post offices, starting with 27602 downtown and including codes in the 27619 to 27629 range. Others are unique ZIP codes assigned to a single high-volume mailer, the kind of code only a university, an agency, or a utility needs:
| Unique ZIP | Assigned to |
| 27695 | NC State University |
| 27697 | NC Department of Motor Vehicles |
| 27634 and 27640 | NC Department of Revenue |
| 27698 | The power company (originally Carolina Power and Light) |
| 27699 | NC centralized state mailing |
| 27656 | Nationwide Insurance operations in Raleigh |
The full remaining list, for anyone auditing an address database: 27602, 27611, 27619, 27620, 27621, 27622, 27623 (see the next section), 27624, 27625, 27626, 27627, 27628, 27629, 27634, 27635, 27636, 27640, 27650, 27656, 27658, 27661, 27668, 27675, 27676, 27690, 27695, 27697, 27698, and 27699. You will almost never use one of these for a home address, but they are why any honest count of Raleigh ZIP codes lands in the forties rather than the teens.
6. Where Raleigh ZIP codes cross the lines you would expect
ZIP codes follow mail routes, not city limits, and Raleigh has three quirks worth knowing. First, the airport: Raleigh-Durham International Airport sits in Morrisville, and its ZIP code is 27623, which also clips the Westgate corner of west Raleigh, so 27623 addresses can be in either town. Second, the county line: Brier Creek in 27617 straddles Wake and Durham counties, and a Durham County address there falls under Durham’s rules and tax rates even with a Raleigh mailing address, one of the differences our Raleigh vs Durham comparison works through. Third, the suburbs keep their own codes: Cary addresses use codes such as 27511, 27513, 27518, and 27519, Apex uses 27502 and 27523 among others, and Wake Forest is 27587, even for homes that feel like far north Raleigh. Our Raleigh to Cary distance guide shows how close those different-ZIP neighbors really are. The rule for buyers: a Raleigh mailing address does not guarantee City of Raleigh services, Wake County taxes, or a specific school assignment. The parcel’s county and town are what count, so verify all three on any listing.
7. What the ZIP codes tell home buyers
For house hunting, Raleigh’s ZIP codes work as a shorthand the whole market understands. Say 27608 and agents hear historic, inside the Beltline, and premium: third-party ZIP data gives it Raleigh’s highest median household income, an estimated $155,433. Say 27614 or 27615 and they hear north Raleigh family territory with newer and larger homes. Say 27601 or 27605 and it is downtown and campus-adjacent living. Say 27617 and it is the airport-and-RTP commute play, which is why Brier Creek draws so many Research Triangle Park workers. Patty’s communities overview translates that shorthand into specific neighborhoods, and the Raleigh vs Cary comparison shows what the same budget does one ZIP cluster over. One caution to close with: ZIP boundaries and school assignment zones are not the same map, and both can change. Use the ZIP to narrow the search, then verify the specific address before you fall in love with the house.
Frequently asked questions
What is the zip code for Raleigh, North Carolina?
Raleigh’s primary ZIP code is 27601, covering downtown. The city has 44 ZIP codes with a Raleigh mailing address in total: 15 standard neighborhood codes (27601, 27603 through 27610, and 27612 through 27617), 27602 for downtown post office boxes, and 28 post office box and unique codes assigned to institutions such as NC State University (27695) and state agencies.
What is the zip code for downtown Raleigh, NC?
27601. It covers the central business district, the State Capitol and state government complex, Fayetteville Street, the Warehouse District, and Glenwood South’s southern end, with Historic Oakwood on its eastern edge.
How many zip codes are in Raleigh, NC?
Forty-four carry a Raleigh mailing address, according to postal reference data. Only 15 of them are standard geographic ZIP codes covering neighborhoods; the rest are post office box codes and unique codes for universities, agencies, and large organizations. Counts that say 15 or 16 are counting only the neighborhood codes.
What is the zip code for NC State University?
NC State has its own unique mailing ZIP, 27695. The campus neighborhoods themselves sit in geographic codes: the main campus area borders 27605 and 27607, and Centennial Campus is in 27606.
What zip code is North Hills in Raleigh?
27609, the Midtown Raleigh code built around the North Hills shopping and dining district on Six Forks Road. Parts of the wider North Hills area also touch 27614 to the north.
What is the zip code for Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU)?
27623. The airport is physically in Morrisville, and 27623 is a Morrisville ZIP code that also covers the Westgate corner of west Raleigh. It is a common point of confusion because the airport carries both cities’ names.
What zip code is Five Points in Raleigh?
27608, which also covers Hayes Barton. Together they form Raleigh’s best-known historic in-town area, just north of downtown inside the Beltline, and third-party data gives 27608 the highest median household income of any Raleigh ZIP code.
The bottom line
What is the zip code for Raleigh, North Carolina? If you need one code, it is 27601 for downtown. If you need the right code, Raleigh has 44, and the 15 geographic ones sketch the whole city: single digits in the historic core, low teens across the north, 27617 out at Brier Creek. Learn those and you can read a Raleigh address the way locals do, as a neighborhood, a commute, and a price range all at once. Patty Owens, a Raleigh REALTOR with Compass, helps buyers decode Raleigh ZIP by ZIP and street by street. Book a Call at 919-602-0612 or through the contact page to talk through your target areas, and start with the Raleigh relocation guide if you are planning the move from out of town.
