Hickory ranks #9 in North Carolina for affordable rent
Hickory is ranked on 32 lists against the 297 North Carolina towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 2.
The lists Hickory does best on
Each list ranks every NC town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Hickory marked.
Hickory lands in the top half on 10 of 21 lists
Each dot is Hickory’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in NC, the right end is last. Areas where Hickory does best come first.
Cooler summers than 83% of North Carolina
Not better or worse, just Hickory’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Hickory out-ranks 4 of its 6 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every NC list, and where Hickory lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Jamestown · 13.4 min
#69 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 La Grange · 1.2 yrs
#160
Cheapest rent#1 Edenton · $388/mo
#132
E
Lowest property tax#1 Emma · $518/yr
#180
Rent easiest to afford#1 Morrisville · 24.8%
#9 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Spring Lake · 81.9%
#94
Most trails#1 Carrboro · 4.5 mi / sq mi
#126
Most walkable#1 Carolina Beach · 134 / sq mi
#112 People
B Most educated#1 Briar Chapel · 81.6% #111
Youngest#1 Cullowhee · 21.0
#104
Oldest#1 Sunset Beach · 69.1
#193
S
Most residents 65+#1 St. James · 62.8%
#168
Most kids#1 Whispering Pines · 34.6%
#166 
Health
Healthiest#1 Morrisville · 100 / 100
#159
Lowest obesity#1 Morrisville · 22%
#185
Fewest smokers#1 Morrisville · 7%
#125
Most active#1 Wrightsville Beach · 13%
#151
S
Fewest uninsured#1 St. James · 4%
#172
Lowest depression#1 Morrisville · 19%
#214
Closest to a top hospital#1 Winston-Salem · 0.0 mi
#185 
The number on the right is Hickory’s spot. All of North Carolina’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every NC list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.