METRO AREA
Hickory Metro
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC · 4 counties · 376,890 residents (2025 est.) · 1,639 sq mi
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The short version
Hickory is home to 368,316 people. Four-year degrees are less common here than nationally, at 22% of adults. The median age is 43.7, about 5 years above the US median. The typical home is worth $214,456, having more than doubled since 2000. 74% of homes are owner-occupied. The foreign-born share is 5%.
At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Older
median age 43.7
US median: 38.9
Less educated
22% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 37%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01
Population & growth
368,316
+8%since 2000
from 341,851 in 2000
376,890 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Land area
1,639 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
2024368K
Age distribution, 2024
Under 55.1%(18,649)
5 to 95.4%(19,773)
10 to 146%(22,112)
15 to 196%(21,970)
20 to 245.7%(21,089)
25 to 3412.1%(44,603)
35 to 4411.5%(42,443)
45 to 5413.4%(49,269)
55 to 6414.6%(53,773)
65 to 7411.9%(43,695)
75 to 846.4%(23,413)
85 and over2%(7,527)
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02
Income & economy
$62,904
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,988 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Households earning $100K+
41.6%
+21.4 ptssince 2009
from 20.2% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade23.8%
Information11.9%
Wholesale trade6.1%
Finance & insurance5.4%
Professional, scientific, technical4.6%
Other services3.8%
Public administration2.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.7%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
Education & health services0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.7%
Construction0.7%
Manufacturing0%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03
Housing
$214,456
+37%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $85,990 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
3.4
+18%since 2009
from 2.9 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
65
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04
Race & ethnicity
2000
White, non-Hispanic85.7%(292,922)
Black6.9%(23,441)
Hispanic / Latino4%(13,834)
Asian2.3%(7,841)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic77.9%(286,879)
Black6.2%(22,920)
Hispanic / Latino9.1%(33,655)
Asian2.9%(10,816)
Other3.8%(14,046)
47
+26%since 2009
from 37 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
31
−7%since 2020
from 33 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins
Detailed origins & ancestry
Hispanic origin
Mexican4.3%(15,755)
Central American2.1%(7,674)
Guatemalan1.2%(3,822)
Puerto Rican1%(3,779)
South American0.7%(2,655)
Honduran0.5%(1,709)
Salvadoran0.5%(1,612)
Colombian0.3%(1,158)
Cuban0.2%(724)
Spaniard0.2%(663)
Argentine0.1%(426)
Costa Rican0.2%(383)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Ecuadorian0.2%(367)
Chilean0.1%(259)
Peruvian0.1%(213)
Venezuelan0%(157)
Dominican0%(100)
Panamanian0%(100)
Bolivian0%(68)
Nicaraguan0%(48)
Asian origin
Hmong2.1%(7,031)
Vietnamese0.3%(862)
Filipino0.2%(620)
Chinese0.1%(500)
Laotian0.1%(434)
Asian Indian0.1%(346)
Thai0.1%(301)
Mien0.2%(270)
Korean0.1%(190)
Japanese0%(91)
Cambodian0.1%(91)
Taiwanese0%(21)
+ 2 more asian origin groups with data
Sri Lankan0%(19)
Indonesian0%(15)
Ancestry
American15.1%(55,599)
German13.8%(50,652)
English13.4%(49,208)
Irish9.2%(33,867)
Scottish2.6%(9,534)
Italian2%(7,413)
Scotch-Irish1.8%(6,771)
Polish1.2%(4,463)
French1.2%(4,457)
Dutch0.9%(3,366)
Welsh0.5%(1,874)
Norwegian0.5%(1,802)
+ 43 more ancestry groups with data
Subsaharan African0.4%(1,564)
Swedish0.4%(1,392)
British0.3%(1,104)
Russian0.3%(1,071)
French Canadian0.2%(772)
Greek0.2%(752)
West Indian0.1%(477)
Iranian0.2%(458)
Swiss0.1%(432)
Hungarian0.1%(388)
Romanian0.1%(373)
Arab0.1%(289)
Austrian0.1%(268)
Haitian0.1%(265)
Danish0.1%(264)
Ukrainian0.1%(260)
Canadian0.1%(217)
Portuguese0.1%(205)
Czech0.1%(198)
Croatian0.1%(192)
Slovak0%(172)
Belgian0%(170)
Lebanese0.1%(169)
Australian0%(100)
Brazilian0%(83)
Finnish0%(82)
Lithuanian0%(82)
Slovene0%(65)
Nigerian0%(63)
Jamaican0%(62)
Ghanaian0.1%(59)
Latvian0%(58)
Cape Verdean0%(54)
Moroccan0%(44)
Egyptian0%(40)
Turkish0%(29)
Israeli0%(26)
Jordanian0%(24)
Armenian0%(21)
Trinidadian & Tobagonian0%(20)
Barbadian0%(18)
Ethiopian0%(17)
Syrian0%(12)
Section 05
Education
High school or higher
86.7%
+16.3 ptssince 2000
from 70.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Section 06
Commute & transportation
Section 07
Work & employment
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 70.6% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Section 08
People & community
Computer in household
92.0%
+5.0 ptssince 2020
from 86.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married31.9%(48,470)
Married54.2%(82,251)
Widowed3.6%(5,423)
Divorced10.3%(15,564)
Women 15+
Never married23.8%(37,093)
Married50.9%(79,436)
Widowed11.1%(17,350)
Divorced14.2%(22,195)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09
Health coverage
Direct-purchase
15.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 15.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
VA health care
3.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 3.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
61.9%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 62.6% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
40.7%
+1.0 ptssince 2020
from 39.7% 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)22.6%(4,344)
Gulf War (1990s)17%(3,261)
Vietnam era40.2%(7,715)
Korean War4.1%(784)
World War II0.7%(125)
Share of the 19,180 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
In this metro
Largest cities
HickoryCENTRAL45,975LenoirCENTRAL18,372MorgantonCENTRAL17,849Newton13,822Lake Norman of Catawba9,906St. Stephens9,457Conover8,938Long View5,387Sawmills5,105Granite Falls4,964Valdese4,712Bethlehem4,101Mountain View3,982Maiden3,922Hudson3,786Gamewell3,713Cajah's Mountain2,702Salem2,377Taylorsville2,333Icard2,153Claremont1,790Drexel1,764Northlakes1,716Hildebran1,691Glen Alpine1,552Connelly Springs1,550Stony Point1,372Blowing Rock1,324Rutherford College1,220Rhodhiss996
The 30 most populous of 34 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.
What's inside
4 component counties
Drill deeper
Metros similar to Hickory
Lubbock
Pop 368,431
Flint
Pop 401,093
Fayetteville
Pop 395,412
Gainesville
Pop 359,036
Places similar to HickoryHead to head
Compare Hickory side by side
HICKORY VS
Lubbock
Income$63,691+1%
Home value$202,881−5%
Population368,431−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Flint
Income$62,281−1%
Home value$182,400−15%
Population401,093+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Fayetteville
Income$61,788−2%
Home value$201,958−6%
Population395,412+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Gainesville
Income$61,360−2%
Home value$271,225+26%
Population359,036−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked
How many people live in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC has about 368,316 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.
What is the median household income in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?
The typical household in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC earns about $62,904 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.
Is Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC expensive?
In Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC, the median home is worth about $214,456, and the typical rent is about $877 a month.
How educated are people in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?
About 22.4% of adults age 25 and over in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
What is the poverty rate in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?
About 13.5% of people in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC live below the federal poverty line.
Has Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC grown since 1990?
Yes, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC has grown since 1990. The population has added about 75,907 residents, a change of about 26 percent over that period.
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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024