Population
Opelika
31,944
Hickory
43,747
Median Income
Opelika
$58,763
Hickory
$63,361
Home Value
Opelika
$213,700
Hickory
$248,300
Rent
Opelika
$947
Hickory
$975
Crime Rate
Opelika
5.60
Hickory
4.10
Cost of Living
Opelika
95.7
Hickory
101.8
Avg Temp
Opelika
N/A
Hickory
N/A
Unemployment
Opelika
5.1%
Hickory
4.8%
How Similar Are Opelika & Hickory?
Hickory is Opelika's #8 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Opelika
31,944
Hickory
43,747
Hickory has a 27% larger population than Opelika.
Violent Crime
Opelika
5.60
Hickory
4.10
Opelika has a 27% higher violent crime than Hickory.
Property Crime
Opelika
26.24
Hickory
28.24
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Opelika
63.3%
Hickory
70.3%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 10% difference.
Unemployment
Opelika
5.1%
Hickory
4.8%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 6% difference.
Median Income
Opelika
$58,763
Hickory
$63,361
Both cities have similar median income — just a 7% difference.
Home Values
Opelika
$213,700
Hickory
$248,300
Hickory has a 14% higher home values than Opelika.
Education
Opelika
24.0%
Hickory
23.6%
Both cities have similar education — just a 1% difference.
Demographics
Opelika
55.4%
Hickory
68.3%
Hickory has a 19% higher demographics than Opelika.
Cost of Living
Opelika
95.7
Hickory
101.8
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 6% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Opelika and Hickory share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Opelika
0
Hickory
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 (19% 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 (8% 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 (43% lower). Opelika has a owner-occupied of 68.8% compared to 55.9% in Hickory. Opelika has a single-family homes of 70.3% compared to 59.0% 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 UCRHickory has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.02 compared to 0.09 in Opelika. Opelika has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.06 compared to 4.10 in Hickory. 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
Opelika
Hickory
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 Opelika, AL
Compare Opelika 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.