Population
Hickory
43,747
Columbia
43,971
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Columbia
$61,204
Home Value
Hickory
$248,300
Columbia
$261,700
Rent
Hickory
$975
Columbia
$1,092
Crime Rate
Hickory
4.10
Columbia
5.73
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Columbia
104.4
Avg Temp
Hickory
N/A
Columbia
N/A
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Columbia
2.9%
How Similar Are Hickory & Columbia?
Columbia is Hickory's #9 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Hickory
43,747
Columbia
43,971
Both cities have similar populations — Hickory at 43,747 and Columbia at 43,971.
Violent Crime
Hickory
4.10
Columbia
5.73
Columbia has a 29% higher violent crime than Hickory.
Property Crime
Hickory
28.24
Columbia
24.87
Hickory has a 12% higher property crime than Columbia.
Political Leaning
Hickory
70.3%
Columbia
71.8%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 2% difference.
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Columbia
2.9%
Hickory has a 40% higher unemployment than Columbia.
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Columbia
$61,204
Both cities have similar median income — just a 3% difference.
Home Values
Hickory
$248,300
Columbia
$261,700
Both cities have similar home values — just a 5% difference.
Education
Hickory
23.6%
Columbia
15.7%
Hickory has a 34% higher education than Columbia.
Demographics
Hickory
68.3%
Columbia
72.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 6% difference.
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Columbia
104.4
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Hickory and Columbia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Hickory
0
Columbia
Columbia leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Hickory leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,138 in Columbia (20% lower). Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,349 in Columbia (19% lower). Hickory scores 87.1 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 93.6 in Columbia.
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 — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a median property tax of $1,448 vs $1,904 in Hickory (31% lower). Columbia has a single-family homes of 73.0% compared to 59.0% in Hickory. Columbia has a owner-occupied of 63.6% compared to 55.9% in Hickory.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Columbia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSColumbia has a unemployment rate of 2.9% compared to 4.8% in Hickory. Columbia has a poverty rate of 14.3% compared to 16.9% in Hickory. Hickory has a per capita income of $36,266 vs $31,104 in Columbia (17% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Columbia leads
Source: FBI UCRHickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.12 in Columbia. Columbia has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.32 compared to 0.56 in Hickory. Hickory has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 4.10 compared to 9.24 in Columbia.
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 15.7% in Columbia. Hickory has a high school diploma or higher of 39.0% compared to 38.5% in Columbia.
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 ACSColumbia has a population of 43,971, about 1x the size of Hickory (43,747). Columbia skews younger with a median age of 35.9 vs 37.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Hickory
Columbia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareColumbia: 3.5 vs Hickory: 2.6 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Hickory: 5 vs Columbia: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSHickory has a public transit of 0.1% compared to 0.1% in Columbia. Columbia has a work from home of 12.5% compared to 11.0% in Hickory. Columbia has a drive alone of 75.8% 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.