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Conover vs Hickory

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: trails (4.5× in Hickory) and size (5.2× in Hickory).

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Conover, NCA regional job hubNorth Carolina · 8,580 people
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Hickory, NCA history townNorth Carolina · 44,258 people
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

★ What stands out · Where they are

Conover and Hickory share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

ConoverHickoryConoverHickory
Conover ↔ Hickory6.2 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
1,014 Hickory residents work in Conover (5.3% of its workers)
803 Conover residents work in Hickory (21.5% of its workers)
Work & commute in Hickory →
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Conover$1,600/mo
Typical home $278K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $898/mo · Housing →
Hickory$1,730/mo
Typical home $295K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,063/mo · Housing →

The difference: $130 a month, about $1,500 a year, between Hickory and Conover.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Hickory places higher on 12 of 19 NC lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
ConoverHickory
Snow a year4″0″
January low29°F—
July high87°F—
Growing season (days)217d—
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)12th31st
Outdoors & history
ConoverHickory
Trails2 mi8 mi
Conserved land0.6%5.4%
Settled18761870
National Register places224
Archive photos412
Famous people born here246
Community
ConoverHickory
Library hours a week39 hrs58 hrs
Colleges in town—2
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

ConoverHickory
People
Population 8,580Lowest 44,258Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +3.1%Lowest NC: +9.5% +8.7%Highest NC: +9.5%
Median age 36.8±9Lowest 6% below NC 37.5±2.4Highest 4% below NC
Hickory and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 30.5%±5.5Highest NC: 21.8% 21.3%±1.9Lowest NC: 21.8%
Age 65+ 18%±4.4Highest NC: 17.2% 17.1%±1.4Lowest NC: 17.2%
Conover and Hickory are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 23.8%Lowest NC: 35.7% 37.1%Highest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.1%±1.2Lowest NC: 6.4% 7.9%±1.2Highest NC: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $65,972±$10kHighest 9% below NC $64,576±$5kLowest 11% below NC
Conover and Hickory are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $271,300±$30kLowest 6% below NC $278,400±$19kHighest 4% below NC
Hickory and Conover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $898±$100Lowest 27% below NC $1,063±$63Highest 13% below NC
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,723Lowest 9% below NC $2,066Highest 9% above NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 55.5%±16.3Highest NC: 48.9% 40.3%±5.6Lowest NC: 48.9%
Conover and Hickory are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 15.7%Lowest NC: 13% 17.1%Highest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 69%Highest NC: 66.6% 55%Lowest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1991Highest same as NC 1982Lowest 9 yrs older than NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 25% below NC 21 minHighest 16% below NC
Work from home 4.1%±2.4Lowest NC: 16.3% 12.9%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3%
Work in townworking residents 11.2%Lowest 32.9%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.3 miLowest 8.8 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.76Highest 2.33Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Hickory (22%)Charlotte (8%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 22% work in Hickory5% work in Conover
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 0.6%Lowest 5.4%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miLowest 8.1 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 7Lowest 16Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 38.1Lowest 57.1Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #132 of 252 in NC#116 of 252 in NC
School district Catawba County Schools · Newton Conover City SchoolsCatawba County Schools · Hickory City Schools
High school in town None in townHickory High
Students per teacherat that high school — 26.7
North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Conover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Conover’s Town Square.

Hickory neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hickory’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Conover

Towns like Conover

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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