Population

Hickory

43,747

Alcoa

11,635

Median Income

Hickory

$63,361

Alcoa

$60,049

Home Value

Hickory

$248,300

Alcoa

$232,300

Rent

Hickory

$975

Alcoa

$1,057

Crime Rate

Hickory

4.10

Alcoa

3.92

Cost of Living

Hickory

101.8

Alcoa

101.9

Avg Temp

Hickory

N/A

Alcoa

N/A

Unemployment

Hickory

4.8%

Alcoa

2.7%

Loading map…

How Similar Are Hickory & Alcoa?

Alcoa is Hickory's #2 most similar city

7/10

7 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Hickory

43,747

vs

Alcoa

11,635

Different · 73% difference

Hickory (43,747) is about 3.8x larger than Alcoa (11,635).

Violent Crime

Hickory

4.10

vs

Alcoa

3.92

Match · 4% difference
🚨

Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 4% difference.

Property Crime

🔒

Hickory

28.24

vs

Alcoa

13.59

Different · 52% difference

Hickory's property crime is significantly higher than Alcoa's — 52% difference.

Political Leaning

Hickory

70.3%

vs

Alcoa

73.2%

Match · 4% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 4% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Hickory

4.8%

vs

Alcoa

2.7%

Different · 44% difference

Hickory has a 44% higher unemployment than Alcoa.

Median Income

Hickory

$63,361

vs

Alcoa

$60,049

Match · 5% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 5% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Hickory

$248,300

vs

Alcoa

$232,300

Match · 6% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 6% difference.

Education

Hickory

23.6%

vs

Alcoa

22.2%

Match · 6% difference
🎓

Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.

Demographics

🌍

Hickory

68.3%

vs

Alcoa

74.7%

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar demographics — just a 8% difference.

Cost of Living

Hickory

101.8

vs

Alcoa

101.9

Match · 0% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.

7 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Hickory and Alcoa are remarkably similar cities.

At a Glance

0

Hickory

vsof 8

0

Alcoa

Hickory leads in 4 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Hickory leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,471 in Alcoa (26% lower). Hickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,184 in Alcoa (23% lower). Hickory scores 87.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 91.8 in Alcoa.

Overall Cost Index

Hickory101.8
Alcoa101.9

Housing Index

Hickory112.5
Alcoa115.0

Food Index

Hickory98.4
Alcoa95.9

Transportation Index

Hickory87.1
Alcoa91.8

Healthcare Index

Hickory98.7
Alcoa96.7

Utilities Index

Hickory101.6
Alcoa100.5

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Hickory$44,778
Alcoa$44,842

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Hickory$105,840
Alcoa$105,990

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Hickory$908
Alcoa$1,184

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Hickory$1,095
Alcoa$1,471

Housing Market — Hickory leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hickory has a vacancy rate of 10.4% compared to 13.4% in Alcoa. Alcoa has a single-family homes of 68.8% compared to 59.0% in Hickory. Alcoa has a owner-occupied of 64.7% compared to 55.9% in Hickory.

Median Home Value

Hickory$248,300
Alcoa$232,300

Median Rent

Hickory$975
Alcoa$1,057

Median Property Tax

Hickory$1,904
Alcoa$1,908

Owner-Occupied

Hickory55.9%
Alcoa64.7%

Vacancy Rate

Hickory10.4%
Alcoa13.4%

Single-Family Homes

Hickory59.0%
Alcoa68.8%

Jobs & Economy — Hickory leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hickory: 21,334 vs Alcoa: 6,225 for labor force. Alcoa has a unemployment rate of 2.7% compared to 4.8% in Hickory. Hickory has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 8.1% in Alcoa.

Median Household Income

Hickory$63,361
Alcoa$60,049

Per Capita Income

Hickory$36,266
Alcoa$36,197

Poverty Rate

Hickory16.9%
Alcoa15.4%

Unemployment Rate

Hickory4.8%
Alcoa2.7%

Labor Force

Hickory21,334
Alcoa6,225

Mean Commute

Hickory18 min
AlcoaN/A

Work from Home

Hickory11.0%
Alcoa8.1%

Private Sector

Hickory96.1%
Alcoa94.1%

Government Sector

Hickory46.0%
Alcoa43.5%

Crime & Safety — Alcoa leads

Source: FBI UCR

Alcoa has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 1.26 compared to 4.10 in Hickory. Alcoa has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.21 compared to 0.56 in Hickory. Alcoa has a property crime rate (per 1k) of 13.59 compared to 28.24 in Hickory.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Hickory4.10
Alcoa3.92

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Hickory28.24
Alcoa13.59

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Hickory0.02
Alcoa0.00

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Hickory0.56
Alcoa0.21

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Hickory3.25
Alcoa2.87

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Hickory4.10
Alcoa1.26

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Hickory21.51
Alcoa10.93

Violent Crime Clearance

Hickory43.2%
Alcoa53.6%

Property Crime Clearance

Hickory15.2%
Alcoa37.6%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Avg Annual High

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Avg Annual Low

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Sunny Days per Year

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Annual Rainfall

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Annual Snowfall

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Avg Humidity

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Schools & Education

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Alcoa has a high school diploma or higher of 45.0% compared to 39.0% in Hickory. Hickory has a bachelor's degree or higher of 23.6% compared to 22.2% in Alcoa.

Public Schools

Hickory0
Alcoa0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

HickoryN/A
AlcoaN/A

Colleges & Universities

Hickory0
Alcoa0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Hickory23.6%
Alcoa22.2%

High School Diploma or Higher

Hickory39.0%
Alcoa45.0%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hickory has a population of 43,747, about 3.8x the size of Alcoa (11,635). Alcoa skews younger with a median age of 35.5 vs 37.7.

Population

Hickory43,747
Alcoa11,635

Median Age

Hickory38
Alcoa36

Avg Household Size

Hickory2.4
Alcoa2.5

Married Population

Hickory38.0%
Alcoa38.4%

Foreign Born

Hickory8.9%
Alcoa8.8%

White

Hickory68.3%
Alcoa74.7%

Black

Hickory13.5%
Alcoa11.7%

Hispanic

Hickory13.9%
Alcoa9.4%

Asian

Hickory4.2%
Alcoa1.8%

Hickory

Alcoa

Healthcare

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Hickory: 5 vs Alcoa: 3 for with emergency services. Alcoa: 3.7 vs Hickory: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Hickory5
Alcoa5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Hickory2.6
Alcoa3.7

With Emergency Services

Hickory5
Alcoa3

Transportation & Commute — Hickory leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Hickory has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 8.1% in Alcoa. Alcoa has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Hickory. Alcoa has a drive alone of 74.5% compared to 73.3% in Hickory.

Mean Commute Time

Hickory18 min
AlcoaN/A

Drive Alone

Hickory73.3%
Alcoa74.5%

Public Transit

Hickory0.1%
Alcoa0.1%

Bicycle

Hickory0.1%
Alcoa0.0%

Work from Home

Hickory11.0%
Alcoa8.1%

Airports

Hickory0
Alcoa0

Cities Similar to Hickory, NC

Compare Hickory 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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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