Population
Hickory
43,747
Athens
27,474
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Athens
$65,000
Home Value
Hickory
$248,300
Athens
$253,700
Rent
Hickory
$975
Athens
$834
Crime Rate
Hickory
4.10
Athens
2.43
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Athens
99.9
Avg Temp
Hickory
N/A
Athens
N/A
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Athens
3.3%
How Similar Are Hickory & Athens?
Athens is Hickory's #14 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Hickory
43,747
Athens
27,474
Hickory has a 37% larger population than Athens.
Violent Crime
Hickory
4.10
Athens
2.43
Hickory has a 41% higher violent crime than Athens.
Property Crime
Hickory
28.24
Athens
20.69
Hickory has a 27% higher property crime than Athens.
Political Leaning
Hickory
70.3%
Athens
71.4%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Athens
3.3%
Hickory has a 31% higher unemployment than Athens.
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Athens
$65,000
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Hickory
$248,300
Athens
$253,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 2% difference.
Education
Hickory
23.6%
Athens
22.1%
Both cities have similar education — just a 6% difference.
Demographics
Hickory
68.3%
Athens
70.0%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 2% difference.
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Athens
99.9
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Hickory and Athens share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Hickory
0
Athens
Cost of Living & Affordability
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,136 in Athens (20% lower). Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,310 in Athens (16% 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 (106% lower). Athens has a vacancy rate of 8.4% compared to 10.4% in Hickory. Athens has a single-family homes of 75.6% compared to 59.0% 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 UCRAthens has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.18 compared to 0.56 in Hickory. Athens has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.43 compared to 4.10 in Hickory. Hickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.06 in Athens.
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
Hickory
Athens
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 work from home of 11.0% compared to 6.5% in Athens. Hickory: 18 min vs Athens: 23 min for mean commute time. Athens has a drive alone of 82.5% compared to 73.3% in Hickory.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
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.