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Hickory vs Conover

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

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

Hickory and Conover share a border

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

HickoryConoverHickoryConover
Hickory ↔ Conover6.2 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.

Hickory$1,730/mo
Typical home $295K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.74% · or rent about $1,063/mo · Housing →
Conover$1,600/mo
Typical home $278K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.64% · or rent about $898/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
HickoryConover
Snow a year0″4″
January low—29°F
July high—87°F
Growing season (days)—217d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)31st12th
Outdoors & history
HickoryConover
Trails8 mi2 mi
Conserved land5.4%0.6%
Settled18701876
National Register places242
Archive photos124
Famous people born here462
Community
HickoryConover
Library hours a week58 hrs39 hrs
Colleges in town2—
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.

HickoryConover
People
Population 44,258Highest 8,580Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.7%Highest NC: +9.5% +3.1%Lowest NC: +9.5%
Median age 37.5±2.4Highest 4% below NC 36.8±9Lowest 6% 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 21.3%±1.9Lowest NC: 21.8% 30.5%±5.5Highest NC: 21.8%
Age 65+ 17.1%±1.4Lowest NC: 17.2% 18%±4.4Highest 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+ 37.1%Highest NC: 35.7% 23.8%Lowest NC: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.9%±1.2Highest NC: 6.4% 2.1%±1.2Lowest NC: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $64,576±$5kLowest 11% below NC $65,972±$10kHighest 9% 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 $278,400±$19kHighest 4% below NC $271,300±$30kLowest 6% 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 $1,063±$63Highest 13% below NC $898±$100Lowest 27% below NC
Property taxmedian, yearly $2,066Highest 9% above NC $1,723Lowest 9% below NC
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 40.3%±5.6Lowest NC: 48.9% 55.5%±16.3Highest 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 17.1%Highest NC: 13% 15.7%Lowest NC: 13%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 55%Lowest NC: 66.6% 69%Highest NC: 66.6%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 9 yrs older than NC 1991Highest same as NC
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 21 minHighest 16% below NC 19 minLowest 25% below NC
Work from home 12.9%±2.7Highest NC: 16.3% 4.1%±2.4Lowest NC: 16.3%
Work in townworking residents 32.9%Highest 11.2%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 8.8 miHighest 8.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.33Lowest 2.76Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Charlotte (8%)Hickory (22%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Conover22% work in Hickory
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 5.4%Highest 0.6%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 8.1 miHighest 1.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 16Highest 7Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.1Highest 38.1Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #116 of 252 in NC#132 of 252 in NC
School district Catawba County Schools · Hickory City SchoolsCatawba County Schools · Newton Conover City Schools
High school in town Hickory HighNone in town
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.

Hickory neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Hickory’s Town Square.

Conover neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Conover’s Town Square.

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Bordering Hickory

Towns like Hickory

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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