Population
Hickory
43,747
Opelika
31,944
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Opelika
$58,763
Home Value
Hickory
$248,300
Opelika
$213,700
Rent
Hickory
$975
Opelika
$947
Crime Rate
Hickory
4.10
Opelika
5.60
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Opelika
95.7
Avg Temp
Hickory
N/A
Opelika
N/A
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Opelika
5.1%
How Similar Are Hickory & Opelika?
Opelika is Hickory's #7 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Hickory
43,747
Opelika
31,944
Hickory has a 27% larger population than Opelika.
Violent Crime
Hickory
4.10
Opelika
5.60
Opelika has a 27% higher violent crime than Hickory.
Property Crime
Hickory
28.24
Opelika
26.24
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Hickory
70.3%
Opelika
63.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 10% difference.
Unemployment
Hickory
4.8%
Opelika
5.1%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Hickory
$63,361
Opelika
$58,763
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Hickory
$248,300
Opelika
$213,700
Hickory has a 14% higher home values than Opelika.
Education
Hickory
23.6%
Opelika
24.0%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Hickory
68.3%
Opelika
55.4%
Hickory has a 19% higher demographics than Opelika.
Cost of Living
Hickory
101.8
Opelika
95.7
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Hickory and Opelika share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Hickory
0
Opelika
Opelika leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Opelika leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDHickory has a fair market rent (1br) of $908 vs $1,077 in Opelika (16% lower). Opelika scores 100.7 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 112.5 in Hickory. Hickory has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,095 vs $1,181 in Opelika (7% lower).
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 — Opelika leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOpelika has a median property tax of $1,093 vs $1,904 in Hickory (74% lower). Opelika has a owner-occupied of 68.8% compared to 55.9% in Hickory. Opelika has a vacancy rate of 8.8% compared to 10.4% 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 has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 5.9% in Opelika. Hickory: 21,334 vs Opelika: 15,700 for labor force. Opelika has a poverty rate of 15.0% compared to 16.9% 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
Source: FBI UCROpelika has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.06 compared to 4.10 in Hickory. Hickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.09 in Opelika. Hickory has a assault rate (per 1k) of 3.25 compared to 4.47 in Opelika.
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 — Opelika leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauOpelika has a high school diploma or higher of 41.5% compared to 39.0% in Hickory. Opelika has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.0% compared to 23.6% 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 Opelika (31,944). Hickory skews younger with a median age of 37.7 vs 40.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Hickory
Opelika
Healthcare — Hickory leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareHickory: 2.6 vs Opelika: 2.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Opelika leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSOpelika has a public transit of 1.4% compared to 0.1% in Hickory. Hickory has a work from home of 11.0% compared to 5.9% in Opelika. Opelika has a bicycle of 0.2% compared to 0.1% 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.