Population
Athens
27,474
Hickory
43,747
Median Income
Athens
$65,000
Hickory
$63,361
Home Value
Athens
$253,700
Hickory
$248,300
Rent
Athens
$834
Hickory
$975
Crime Rate
Athens
2.43
Hickory
4.10
Cost of Living
Athens
99.9
Hickory
101.8
Avg Temp
Athens
N/A
Hickory
N/A
Unemployment
Athens
3.3%
Hickory
4.8%
How Similar Are Athens & Hickory?
Hickory is Athens's #22 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Athens
27,474
Hickory
43,747
Hickory has a 37% larger population than Athens.
Violent Crime
Athens
2.43
Hickory
4.10
Hickory has a 41% higher violent crime than Athens.
Property Crime
Athens
20.69
Hickory
28.24
Hickory has a 27% higher property crime than Athens.
Political Leaning
Athens
71.4%
Hickory
70.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Athens
3.3%
Hickory
4.8%
Hickory has a 31% higher unemployment than Athens.
Median Income
Athens
$65,000
Hickory
$63,361
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Athens
$253,700
Hickory
$248,300
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Athens
22.1%
Hickory
23.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Athens
70.0%
Hickory
68.3%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Athens
99.9
Hickory
101.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Athens and Hickory share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Athens
0
Hickory
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,136 in Athens (25% lower). Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,310 in Athens (20% lower). Hickory scores 87.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 102.2 in Athens.
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 — Athens leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSAthens has a median property tax of $925 vs $1,904 in Hickory (51% lower). Athens has a single-family homes of 75.6% compared to 59.0% in Hickory. Athens has a vacancy rate of 8.4% compared to 10.4% in Hickory.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Athens leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHickory has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 6.5% in Athens. Hickory: 21,334 vs Athens: 13,202 for labor force. Athens has a unemployment rate of 3.3% compared to 4.8% in Hickory.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Athens leads
Source: FBI UCRHickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.06 in Athens. Athens has a property crime clearance of 40.1% compared to 15.2% in Hickory. Athens has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.18 compared to 0.56 in Hickory.
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 — Hickory leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauHickory has a bachelor's degree or higher of 23.6% compared to 22.1% in Athens.
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 1.6x the size of Athens (27,474). Hickory skews younger with a median age of 37.7 vs 41.6.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Athens
Hickory
Healthcare — Hickory leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHickory: 5 vs Athens: 4 for with emergency services. Hickory: 2.6 vs Athens: 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 ACSHickory has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Athens. Hickory has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Athens. Hickory has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 6.5% in Athens.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Athens, AL
Compare Athens 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.