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CITY

Conover

North Carolina · 8,938 residents (2025 est.) · 11.4 sq mi
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The short version

With 8,580 people, Conover is a city in North Carolina. 24% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. 1,976 more people live here than in 2000. Getting to work takes 19 minutes on average. Renters pay $898 a month at the median. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $271,300.

At a glance
Lower income
median household income $65,972, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.8
US median: 38.9
Less educated
24% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 51%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place

What stands out about Conover

What changed most since 1990

  • Adults with a bachelor's degree19.8% → 23.8% (+4.0 pts)US over the same years: +15.3 pts
  • Hispanic share1.3% → 22.2% (+20.9 pts)US over the same years: +9.9 pts
  • Poverty rate5.8% → 15.7% (+9.8 pts)US over the same years: −0.8 pts

Among the 34 cities and towns in the Hickory metro

  • 14th in household income$65,972
  • 15th in share with a bachelor's degree23.8%
  • 7th in home value$271,300
  • 7th in diversity score60.5

Its weight in Catawba County

Conover's population equals 5.2% of Catawba County's. Its number of people who work from home equals 2.2% of the county's.

Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
8,580
+30%since 2000
from 6,604 in 2000
8,938 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
751 / sq mi
+30%since 2000
from 578 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
36.8
−3%since 2000
from 38.0 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
11.4 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
5K6K7K8K9K19902000201020202024Conover
20249K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.2%(529)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 99.1%(779)
US avg: 6%
10 to 149.6%(825)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 198.2%(701)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 245%(429)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 349.6%(821)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4411.1%(954)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5414.7%(1,258)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 648.6%(739)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 748.5%(731)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 847.1%(611)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over2.4%(203)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,972
−4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,583 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$28,587
+43%since 2000
from $19,985 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
42.7%
+16.9 ptssince 2009
from 25.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
15.7%
+3.5 ptssince 2000
from 12.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.401
+1%since 2010
from 0.398 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade35.2%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade8.9%
US avg: 6.9%
Other services3.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration3.4%
US avg: 4.8%
Information3.3%
US avg: 10.8%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
US avg: 2.2%
Finance & insurance2%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical1.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$271,300
+51%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $98,500 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$898
−5%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $518 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
69.0%
−4.8 ptssince 2000
from 73.8% in 2000
31.0% rent
Vacancy rate
8.5%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.58 people
+5%since 2009
from 2.46 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
18.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 19.8% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.0%
+20.1 ptssince 2009
from 31.9% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.1
+50%since 2009
from 2.7 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
52
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic79.7%(5,264)
Black8.3%(550)
Hispanic / Latino7.8%(517)
Asian3.1%(207)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic67.9%(5,827)
Black3.3%(282)
Hispanic / Latino22.2%(1,908)
Asian0.3%(23)
Other6.3%(540)
Diversity Score
61
+17%since 2009
from 52 in 2009
1990 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican10.7%(920)
Guatemalan4%(347)
Salvadoran1.9%(165)
Puerto Rican0.9%(80)
Costa Rican0.7%(62)
Cuban0.5%(41)
Colombian0.2%(19)
Chilean0.2%(13)
Asian origin
Hmong0.2%(20)
Korean0%(3)
Ancestry
English18.4%(1,576)
German14.1%(1,209)
American10.6%(906)
Irish7.3%(627)
Scottish2.7%(231)
Scotch-Irish2.2%(186)
French2%(171)
Russian1.7%(149)
Polish1.2%(101)
Dutch0.8%(71)
Swedish0.8%(71)
Arab0.7%(61)
+ 10 more ancestry groups with data
Lebanese0.7%(61)
Italian0.4%(38)
Belgian0.4%(34)
Romanian0.3%(28)
British0.3%(26)
Welsh0.2%(18)
Norwegian0.2%(17)
Austrian0.1%(8)
Danish0.1%(5)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
23.8%
+5.4 ptssince 2000
from 18.5% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
86.9%
+11.2 ptssince 2000
from 75.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
6.2%
+0.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.3% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
18.7 min
+64%since 2000
from 11.4 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
74.7%
−10.6 ptssince 2009
from 85.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
19.3%
+7.8 ptssince 2009
from 11.5% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.3% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
4.1%
+2.5 ptssince 2009
from 1.6% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.4%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 0.0% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.1%
−1.7 ptssince 2009
from 7.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
3.3%
−4.2 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
54.8%
−9.6 ptssince 2011
from 64.4% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
65.4%
−2.9 ptssince 2020
from 68.3% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
10.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
30.9%
−3.0 ptssince 2009
from 33.9% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.3%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 49.9% in 2009
Female
49.7%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 50.1% in 2009
Foreign born
8.8%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.8%
−4.8 ptssince 2009
from 10.5% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
11.6%
−1.8 ptssince 2012
from 13.4% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
14.2%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 15.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
91.3%
+10.4 ptssince 2017
from 80.9% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
95.4%
+3.9 ptssince 2020
from 91.5% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
85.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 85.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
77.2%
−4.3 ptssince 2016
from 81.5% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
22.0%
+10.8 ptssince 2016
from 11.3% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.7%(1,023)
Married58.6%(1,834)
Widowed3.5%(111)
Divorced5.2%(162)
Women 15+
Never married24.8%(823)
Married51.1%(1,696)
Widowed13.8%(458)
Divorced10.3%(340)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
14.2%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 15.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
49.4%
+1.8 ptssince 2020
from 47.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
10.8%
−4.8 ptssince 2020
from 15.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
17.8%
−1.4 ptssince 2020
from 19.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
22.1%
−2.5 ptssince 2020
from 24.6% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.3%
−0.8 ptssince 2020
from 3.1% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
57.7%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 58.4% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
37.9%
−4.8 ptssince 2020
from 42.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)12.2%(42)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)34.7%(119)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era42.3%(145)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War19.2%(66)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 343 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time

Conover, decade by decade

Conover population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
YearPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueBachelor's degree+Diversity score
19905,465$76,932$171,12519.8%25.5
20006,604$68,463$179,43318.5%43.8
20108,165$67,548$184,28121.1%56.2
20208,421$59,377$193,07820.6%64.4
20248,580$65,972$271,30023.8%60.5

Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.

Drill deeper

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Pop 8,979
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Pop 10,107
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Places similar to Conover
Head to head

Compare Conover to nearby cities

CONOVER VS
Newton
Income$62,015−6%
Home value$186,300−31%
Population13,822+55%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CONOVER VS
St. Stephens
Income$60,394−8%
Home value$213,300−21%
Population9,457+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CONOVER VS
Hickory
Income$64,576−2%
Home value$278,400+3%
Population45,975+414%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
CONOVER VS
Lake Norman of Catawba
Income$112,656+71%
Home value$492,600+82%
Population9,906+11%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Conover, North Carolina?

Conover, North Carolina has about 8,580 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Conover, North Carolina?

The typical household in Conover, North Carolina earns about $65,972 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Conover, North Carolina expensive?

In Conover, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $271,300, and the typical rent is about $898 a month.

How educated are people in Conover, North Carolina?

About 23.8% of adults age 25 and over in Conover, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Conover, North Carolina?

About 15.7% of people in Conover, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Conover, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Conover, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 3,115 residents, a change of about 57 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →