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METRO AREA · 2000 CENSUS

Hickory Metro

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC · 4 counties · 341,851 residents · 1,639 sq mi
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The short version

With 341,851 people, Hickory is a metro area. About 14% of adults have finished a four-year degree. Owners hold 74% of the housing stock. The typical home is worth $85,990, having risen by half since 1990. The population is up 17% since 1990. The median household earns $37,988, about 11% below the national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $42,589
Mid-age
median age 36.7
US median: 35.2
Less educated
14% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 24%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $120,530
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
341,851
+17%since 1990
from 292,409 in 1990
1990 – 2025
Population density
209 / sq mi
+17%since 1990
from 178 / sq mi in 1990
Median age
36.7
+6%since 1990
from 34.6 in 1990
US average: 35.2
Land area
1,639 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
285K308K330K353K376K19902000201020202024Hickory
2024368K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2000
Under 56.5%(22,057)
US avg: 6.8%
5 to 96.9%(23,593)
US avg: 7.3%
10 to 146.8%(23,225)
US avg: 7.3%
15 to 196.4%(21,867)
US avg: 7.2%
20 to 246%(20,547)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3414.7%(50,307)
US avg: 14.2%
35 to 4415.8%(54,178)
US avg: 16%
45 to 5414.1%(48,090)
US avg: 13.4%
55 to 6410%(34,321)
US avg: 8.6%
65 to 747.2%(24,456)
US avg: 6.5%
75 to 844.2%(14,522)
US avg: 4.4%
85 and over1.4%(4,688)
US avg: 1.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$37,988
+6%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $27,252 in 1990
US average: $42,589
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$18,723
+50%since 1990
from $12,461 in 1990
US average: $21,522
Poverty rate
9.8%
+0.8 ptssince 1990
from 9.0% in 1990
US average: 12.4%
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$85,990
+15%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $56,546 in 1990
US average: $120,530
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$479
+6%inflation adjusted, since 1990
from $341 in 1990
US average: $602
Owner-occupied
74.3%
−0.5 ptssince 1990
from 74.7% in 1990
25.7% rent
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

1990
White, non-Hispanic91.8%(268,443)
Black7.3%(21,337)
Hispanic / Latino0.5%(1,374)
Asian0.5%(1,559)
2000
White, non-Hispanic85.7%(292,922)
Black6.9%(23,441)
Hispanic / Latino4%(13,834)
Asian2.3%(7,841)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Detailed origin tables are available for 2024; showing 2024 data.

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)
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
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0.1%(288)
Samoan0%(37)
Tongan0%(36)
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
Swedish0.4%(1,392)
British0.3%(1,104)
Russian0.3%(1,071)
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)
Slovene0%(65)
Nigerian0%(63)
Jamaican0%(62)
Ghanaian0.1%(59)
Latvian0%(58)
Moroccan0%(44)
Egyptian0%(40)
Turkish0%(29)
Israeli0%(26)
Jordanian0%(24)
Armenian0%(21)
Barbadian0%(18)
Ethiopian0%(17)
Syrian0%(12)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
13.7%
+2.3 ptssince 1990
from 11.4% in 1990
US average: 24.4%
High school or higher
70.4%
+8.5 ptssince 1990
from 61.9% in 1990
US average: 80.3%
Graduate degree
4.0%
+0.8 ptssince 1990
from 3.2% in 1990
US average: 8.8%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
13.4 min
−20%since 1990
from 16.7 min in 1990
US average: 17.6
Section 07

Work & employment

No data for the years selected.

Section 08

People & community

No data for the years selected.

Marital status
Men 15+
Never married25.2%(33,759)
Married63.4%(84,929)
Widowed2.4%(3,150)
Divorced9.1%(12,146)
Women 15+
Never married16.8%(23,376)
Married61.1%(84,839)
Widowed11.4%(15,862)
Divorced10.7%(14,799)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2000
Section 09

Health coverage

Showing 2024 (the nearest year with coverage data).

Uninsured
10.4%
−5.9 ptssince 2013
from 16.3% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
48.6%
−0.5 ptssince 2020
from 49.1% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.3%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 15.6% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
22.7%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 22.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
20.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2020
from 20.2% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
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)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)17%(3,261)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era40.2%(7,715)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.1%(784)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(125)
US avg: 1%

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

Catawba CountyCENTRAL170,172Burke CountyCENTRAL88,655Caldwell CountyCENTRAL81,105Alexander County36,958
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 Hickory
Head to head

Compare Hickory side by side

HICKORY VS
Lubbock
Income$63,691+68%
Home value$202,881+136%
Population368,431−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Flint
Income$62,281+64%
Home value$182,400+112%
Population401,093+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Fayetteville
Income$61,788+63%
Home value$201,958+135%
Population395,412+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Gainesville
Income$61,360+62%
Home value$271,225+215%
Population359,036−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC has about 341,851 residents according to the 2000 Census.

What is the median household income in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?

The typical household in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC earns about $37,988 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 $85,990, and the typical rent is about $479 a month.

How educated are people in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC?

About 13.7% 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 9.8% 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 49,442 residents, a change of about 17 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →