CensusEasy
METRO AREA · 2010 ACS

Hickory Metro

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC · 4 counties · 365,497 residents · 1,639 sq mi
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The short version

Hickory is home to 365,497 people. About 16% of adults have finished a four-year degree. The typical home is worth $118,527. The median age is 40.5, about 3 years above the US median. The foreign-born share is 5%. 72% of homes are owner-occupied.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $52,703
Older
median age 40.5
US median: 37.2
Less educated
16% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 28%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $225,659
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
365,497
+7%since 2000
from 341,851 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
223 / sq mi
+7%since 2000
from 209 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
40.5
+10%since 2000
from 36.7 in 2000
US average: 37.2
Land area
1,639 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
285K308K330K353K376K19902000201020202024Hickory
2024368K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2010
Under 55.9%(21,592)
US avg: 6.5%
5 to 96.3%(23,005)
US avg: 6.6%
10 to 146.6%(24,277)
US avg: 6.7%
15 to 196.9%(25,232)
US avg: 7.1%
20 to 245.5%(19,957)
US avg: 7%
25 to 3411.2%(40,946)
US avg: 13.3%
35 to 4414.1%(51,674)
US avg: 13.3%
45 to 5415.2%(55,681)
US avg: 14.6%
55 to 6413.2%(48,244)
US avg: 11.8%
65 to 748.6%(31,566)
US avg: 7%
75 to 844.7%(17,222)
US avg: 4.2%
85 and over1.7%(6,101)
US avg: 1.8%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$40,139
−17%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $37,988 in 2000
US average: $52,703
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$21,061
+12%since 2000
from $18,723 in 2000
US average: $27,286
Households earning $100K+
20.6%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 20.2% in 2009
US average: 33.3%
Poverty rate
14.8%
+5.0 ptssince 2000
from 9.8% in 2000
US average: 13.8%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.441
US average: 0.461
Workforce by industry, 2010
Retail trade26.3%
US avg: 10.9%
Information11%
US avg: 11.5%
Wholesale trade6.9%
US avg: 7.2%
Finance & insurance4.6%
US avg: 5.1%
Professional, scientific, technical4%
US avg: 4.2%
Transportation & warehousing3.7%
US avg: 3.1%
Other services3.2%
US avg: 7%
Public administration2%
US avg: 4.9%
Arts, entertainment, food1%
US avg: 2.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Construction0.8%
US avg: 1.4%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$118,527
+9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $85,990 in 2000
US average: $225,659
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$592
−2%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $479 in 2000
US average: $853
Owner-occupied
72.0%
−2.3 ptssince 2000
from 74.3% in 2000
28.0% rent
Vacancy rate
13.8%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 13.1% in 2009
US average: 12.1%
Persons per household
2.56 people
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.57 people in 2009
US average: 2.60
Owner cost-burdened
22.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 22.3% in 2009
US average: 30.9%
Renter cost-burdened
40.3%
+0.8 ptssince 2009
from 39.4% in 2009
US average: 46.8%
Afford Score
2.9
+2%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.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic85.7%(292,922)
Black6.9%(23,441)
Hispanic / Latino4%(13,834)
Asian2.3%(7,841)
Other0%
2010
White, non-Hispanic82.7%(302,096)
Black6.8%(24,860)
Hispanic / Latino6.3%(23,063)
Asian2.5%(9,252)
Other1.8%(6,673)

No data for the years selected.

Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican3.7%(13,444)
Central American1.2%(4,484)
Guatemalan0.6%(1,803)
Puerto Rican0.4%(1,530)
South American0.3%(1,127)
Salvadoran0.3%(1,115)
Honduran0.2%(706)
Colombian0.1%(486)
Cuban0.1%(359)
Spaniard0.1%(347)
Costa Rican0.1%(343)
Nicaraguan0.1%(312)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(289)
Dominican0.1%(254)
Panamanian0.1%(187)
Venezuelan0.1%(139)
Bolivian0%(60)
Argentine0%(39)
Chilean0%(27)
Ancestry
German17.3%(62,697)
American16.8%(61,007)
Irish10.8%(39,198)
English9.4%(34,238)
Scotch-Irish3.4%(12,414)
Scottish2.9%(10,478)
Dutch2.2%(7,880)
Italian1.9%(6,797)
French1.4%(5,015)
Polish0.7%(2,638)
Welsh0.4%(1,510)
Swedish0.4%(1,403)
+ 37 more ancestry groups with data
Norwegian0.3%(1,168)
British0.3%(1,152)
Russian0.2%(825)
Hungarian0.2%(772)
Danish0.2%(553)
Swiss0.1%(496)
Greek0.1%(392)
Czech0.1%(360)
Austrian0.1%(326)
Arab0.1%(324)
Canadian0.1%(315)
Slovak0.1%(239)
Romanian0.1%(215)
Finnish0.1%(206)
Lithuanian0.1%(196)
Ukrainian0%(180)
Palestinian0.1%(167)
Portuguese0.1%(147)
Lebanese0%(94)
Belgian0%(84)
Guyanese0.1%(80)
Israeli0.1%(64)
Ethiopian0%(61)
Egyptian0%(44)
Haitian0%(37)
Slovene0%(35)
Armenian0%(30)
Latvian0%(28)
Jamaican0%(23)
Croatian0%(12)
Iranian0%(9)
Turkish0%(3)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
15.9%
+2.3 ptssince 2000
from 13.7% in 2000
US average: 27.9%
High school or higher
77.7%
+7.3 ptssince 2000
from 70.4% in 2000
US average: 84.9%
Graduate degree
5.2%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 4.0% in 2000
US average: 10.2%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
21.8 min
+63%since 2000
from 13.4 min in 2000
US average: 25.2
Drive alone to work
84.8%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 84.6% in 2009
US average: 76.2%
Carpooled to work
9.9%
−0.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.1% in 2009
US average: 10.4%
Public transit
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 4.7%
Worked from home
2.9%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 4.1%
Walked to work
1.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.1% in 2009
US average: 2.8%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.5%
No vehicle available
6.0%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 5.9% in 2009
US average: 8.7%
Section 07

Work & employment

Self-employed
12.9%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.7% in 2009
US average: 12.9%
Management & professional
27.2%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 26.8% in 2009
US average: 35.2%
Section 08

People & community

Male
49.3%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 49.4% in 2009
Female
50.7%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 50.6% in 2009
Foreign born
5.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.3% in 2009
US average: 12.8%
Veterans
10.0%
−0.3 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 9.9%
Marital status (2024)
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

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+59%
Home value$202,881+71%
Population368,431−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Flint
Income$62,281+55%
Home value$182,400+54%
Population401,093+6%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Fayetteville
Income$61,788+54%
Home value$201,958+70%
Population395,412+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
HICKORY VS
Gainesville
Income$61,360+53%
Home value$271,225+129%
Population359,036−5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

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

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC has about 365,497 residents according to the 2010 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC earns about $40,139 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 $118,527, and the typical rent is about $592 a month.

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

About 15.9% 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 14.8% 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 73,088 residents, a change of about 25 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 →