Population
Aiken
32,334
Hickory
43,747
Median Income
Aiken
$69,837
Hickory
$63,361
Home Value
Aiken
$261,800
Hickory
$248,300
Rent
Aiken
$1,199
Hickory
$975
Crime Rate
Aiken
5.69
Hickory
4.10
Cost of Living
Aiken
111.3
Hickory
101.8
Avg Temp
Aiken
N/A
Hickory
N/A
Unemployment
Aiken
4.7%
Hickory
4.8%
How Similar Are Aiken & Hickory?
Hickory is Aiken's #24 most similar city
4 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Aiken
32,334
Hickory
43,747
Hickory has a 26% larger population than Aiken.
Violent Crime
Aiken
5.69
Hickory
4.10
Aiken has a 28% higher violent crime than Hickory.
Property Crime
Aiken
39.58
Hickory
28.24
Aiken has a 29% higher property crime than Hickory.
Political Leaning
Aiken
62.3%
Hickory
70.3%
Both cities lean Republican, but Hickory has a stronger Republican lean (11% difference).
Unemployment
Aiken
4.7%
Hickory
4.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Aiken
$69,837
Hickory
$63,361
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Aiken
$261,800
Hickory
$248,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Aiken
32.5%
Hickory
23.6%
Aiken has a 27% higher education than Hickory.
Demographics
Aiken
60.1%
Hickory
68.3%
Hickory has a 12% higher demographics than Aiken.
Cost of Living
Aiken
111.3
Hickory
101.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 9% difference.
4 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Aiken and Hickory share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Aiken
0
Hickory
Hickory leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hickory leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,114 in Aiken (23% lower). Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,261 in Aiken (15% lower). Hickory scores 87.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 100.0 in Aiken.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Aiken leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAiken has a single-family homes of 81.2% compared to 59.0% in Hickory. Aiken has a median property tax of $1,207 vs $1,904 in Hickory (37% lower). Aiken has a owner-occupied of 69.7% compared to 55.9% in Hickory.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Hickory leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHickory: 21,334 vs Aiken: 14,421 for labor force. Hickory: 18 min vs Aiken: 21 min for mean commute. Hickory has a government sector of 46.0% compared to 37.6% in Aiken.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Hickory leads
Source: FBI UCRHickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.12 in Aiken. Aiken has a property crime clearance of 28.7% compared to 15.2% in Hickory. Hickory has a larceny rate (per 1k) of 21.51 compared to 34.04 in Aiken.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Aiken leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAiken has a bachelor's degree or higher of 32.5% compared to 23.6% in Hickory. Aiken has a high school diploma or higher of 49.0% compared to 39.0% in Hickory.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHickory has a population of 43,747, about 1.4x the size of Aiken (32,334). Hickory skews younger with a median age of 37.7 vs 46.5.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Aiken
Hickory
Healthcare — Hickory leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHickory: 5 vs Aiken: 4 for with emergency services. Hickory: 2.6 vs Aiken: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Hickory leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAiken has a public transit of 0.4% compared to 0.1% in Hickory. Hickory has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Aiken. Hickory: 18 min vs Aiken: 21 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Aiken, SC
Compare Aiken against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.