Demographics of Hickory city, North Carolina

Hickory city, North Carolina had 45,975 people on July 1, 2025, by the Census Bureau’s estimate: +2,267 since July 2020. Age, income, poverty, housing and origin below come from the survey, averaged over 2020–2024, each with its margin of error.

Hickory city, in four figures

45,975
Population: July 1, 2025, Vintage 2025 estimate. The survey’s 2020–⁠2024 figure is 44,258 ±117.; +5.2%
Change since July 2020: +2,267 people.; 37.5 ±2.4
Median age: ACS 2020–⁠2024.; $64,576 ±$5,348
Median household income: ACS 2020–⁠2024, in 2024 dollars.

Population, year by year

July 1 estimates from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025. The Bureau publishes no births, deaths or migration for a place, so the change is the difference between one July estimate and the next.

Hickory city, North Carolina's population grew 5.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally

The July 1 estimate of Hickory city, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).

Source: The Census Bureau

About this chart

The figures

Hickory city, North Carolina's population grew 5.2% from July 2020 to July 2025, against +3.1% nationally. The July 1 estimate of Hickory city, North Carolina's resident population and the nation's, each year of the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025, as a share of its July 2020 level (= 100).
July 1	Population	Index	United States
2020	43,708	100.0	100.0
2021	43,824	100.3	100.2
2022	44,178	101.1	100.7
2023	44,617	102.1	101.6
2024	45,222	103.5	102.5
2025	45,975	105.2	103.1

Population of Hickory city, North Carolina on July 1 of each year, Vintage 2025
July 1	Population	Change
2020	43,708	—
2021	43,824	+116
2022	44,178	+354
2023	44,617	+439
2024	45,222	+605
2025	45,975	+753

Age, 2020–2024

The median age is 37.5 ±2.4: for men 34.6 ±2.5 and for women 39.7 ±1.7. Shares are of everyone the survey counts, in the Bureau’s sex-by-age table (B01001).

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People in Hickory city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under 5	2,350 ±450	5.3% ±1.0	5.6% ±<0.1	5.6% ±<0.1
5 to 17	7,066 ±723	16.0% ±1.6	16.1% ±0.1	16.3% ±<0.1
18 to 24	5,643 ±664	12.8% ±1.5	9.5% ±0.1	9.1% ±<0.1
25 to 44	10,670 ±846	24.1% ±1.9	26.2% ±0.1	26.9% ±<0.1
45 to 64	10,965 ±845	24.8% ±1.9	25.4% ±0.1	24.8% ±<0.1
65 and over	7,564 ±599	17.1% ±1.4	17.2% ±0.1	17.2% ±<0.1

Income and poverty, 2020–2024

Median household income is $64,576 ±$5,348, and income per person $38,101 ±$2,758, in 2024 dollars. The median is $72,388 ±$324 in North Carolina and $80,734 ±$166 in the United States.

Households by income

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Households in Hickory city by income, ACS 2020–2024
Household income	Households	Share	North Carolina	United States
Under $25,000	3,307 ±484	18.3% ±2.6	15.8% ±0.2	14.6% ±<0.1
$25,000 to $49,999	4,012 ±552	22.2% ±3.0	19.1% ±0.2	16.7% ±<0.1
$50,000 to $74,999	3,042 ±473	16.9% ±2.6	16.8% ±0.2	15.5% ±<0.1
$75,000 to $99,999	2,212 ±406	12.3% ±2.2	13.0% ±0.1	12.6% ±<0.1
$100,000 to $149,999	2,661 ±440	14.7% ±2.4	16.6% ±0.2	17.5% ±<0.1
$150,000 to $199,999	1,362 ±360	7.5% ±2.0	8.3% ±0.1	9.6% ±<0.1
$200,000 or more	1,446 ±299	8.0% ±1.6	10.4% ±0.1	13.4% ±0.1

Poverty by age

The poverty rate is the share of people whose family income is below the federal threshold for their family’s size, of everyone for whom the Bureau determines it (B17020).

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Poverty rate in Hickory city by age, ACS 2020–2024
Age	Below poverty	Rate	North Carolina	United States
All ages	7,291 ±1,160	17.1% ±2.7	13.0% ±0.2	12.5% ±0.1
Under 18	2,425 ±571	26.3% ±5.5	17.7% ±0.3	16.1% ±0.1
18 to 59	3,733 ±681	15.7% ±2.8	12.1% ±0.2	11.6% ±0.1
60 and over	1,133 ±325	11.7% ±3.2	10.9% ±0.2	11.0% ±<0.1

Housing, 2020–2024

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Housing in Hickory city, ACS 2020–2024
Measure	Hickory city	North Carolina	United States
Housing units	19,955 ±632	4,895,668 ±642	143,775,355 ±10,234
Occupied	90.4% ±4.0	87.5% ±0.2	89.9% ±0.1
Vacant	9.6% ±2.0	12.5% ±0.2	10.1% ±0.1
Owner occupied	55.0% ±2.3	66.6% ±0.3	65.2% ±0.3
Renter occupied	45.0% ±3.1	33.4% ±0.2	34.8% ±0.1
Median home value	$278,400 ±$19,251	$288,900 ±$1,086	$332,700 ±$236
Median gross rent	$1,063 ±$63	$1,228 ±$5	$1,413 ±$2
Median year built	1982 ±2	1991 ±1	1980 ±1

Occupied and vacant are shares of all housing units; owner and renter occupied are shares of occupied units. Value and rent are medians in 2024 dollars.

Origin and place of birth, 2020–2024

Hispanic or Latino origin is not a race in the Census Bureau’s tables. Here the people of Hispanic origin, of any race, are one row, and everyone else is counted by race alone (B03002), so the rows add to the whole.

Hispanic origin and race

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People in Hickory city by Hispanic origin and race, ACS 2020–2024
Origin	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Hispanic or Latino	6,709 ±1,040	15.2% ±2.3	11.3% ±<0.1	19.3% ±<0.1
White alone, not Hispanic	27,704 ±1,125	62.6% ±2.5	60.0% ±<0.1	57.4% ±<0.1
Black alone, not Hispanic	5,733 ±805	13.0% ±1.8	20.0% ±0.1	11.9% ±<0.1
Asian alone, not Hispanic	2,106 ±581	4.8% ±1.3	3.3% ±<0.1	5.9% ±<0.1
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0 to 74	< 0.1% to 0.2%	0.8% ±<0.1	0.5% ±<0.1
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0 to 29	0% to 0.1%	0.1% ±<0.1	0.2% ±<0.1
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	16 to 260	< 0.1% to 0.6%	0.5% ±<0.1	0.6% ±<0.1
Two or more races, not Hispanic	1,831 ±589	4.1% ±1.3	4.1% ±0.1	4.3% ±<0.1

A range (the estimate less and plus its margin) where the Bureau's estimate is too uncertain to state as one number: a coefficient of variation over 30%.

Place of birth and citizenship

“Born a citizen outside the states” counts people born in Puerto Rico, the island areas, or abroad to American parents. Naturalized citizens and those who are not citizens together make up the people born abroad (B05002).

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People in Hickory city by place of birth and citizenship, ACS 2020–2024
Born	People	Share	North Carolina	United States
Born in the state	26,138 ±1,185	59.1% ±2.7	53.6% ±0.2	57.3% ±<0.1
Born in another state	13,163 ±952	29.7% ±2.1	35.9% ±0.2	26.9% ±<0.1
Born a citizen outside the states	698 ±296	1.6% ±0.7	1.4% ±<0.1	1.7% ±<0.1
Born abroad	4,259 ±754	9.6% ±1.7	9.1% ±0.1	14.1% ±<0.1
Naturalized citizens	1,798 ±451	4.1% ±1.0	3.8% ±0.1	7.4% ±<0.1
Not citizens	2,461 ±674	5.6% ±1.5	5.2% ±0.1	6.8% ±<0.1

Hickory city among the places of North Carolina

25th of 166 places of 5,000 or more by the survey’s 2020–2024 count. Every one is listed on the North Carolina page.

Places of North Carolina near Hickory city in population, ACS 2020–2024
Place	ACS 2020–⁠2024
Rocky Mount city	54,297 ±36
Wake Forest town	52,844 ±42
Mooresville town	52,381 ±50
Wilson city	48,370 ±38
Holly Springs town	45,248 ±59
Hickory city	44,258 ±117
Indian Trail town	42,036 ±59
Fuquay-Varina town	40,485 ±52
Monroe city	36,759 ±42
Salisbury city	35,825 ±29
Garner town	34,473 ±42

Elsewhere on the site

Reported crime in Hickory city, North Carolina

Rankings this appears in

Sources

Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns — U.S. Census Bureau · U.S. Government work · retrieved September 25, 2026
American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File · U.S. Government work

Compiled automatically from Census Bureau population estimates — incorporated places and New England towns and American Community Survey 5-year estimates — table-based Summary File by a checked SQL query · Editor: Kian O'Connor · How this site is built

Data retrieved September 25, 2026