United States › North Carolina
Catawba County, North Carolina
Population 163,573 · Hickory, Newton, Conover
- Overall cost of living: −11.5% vs the US average, higher than 50% of US counties.
- Annual snowfall: 0 in, the lowest in the US.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−11.5% | higher than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $241,600 | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Median rent | $965 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $156/mo | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,670/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.58% | lower than 74% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 4.75% | lower than 70% of US counties |
| State income tax | 4.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,407 | lower than 59% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $67,864 | higher than 57% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.7% | lower than 60% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +1.7% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 532.3 | higher than 96% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈215 days | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 88°F | higher than 50% of US counties |
| January low | 29°F | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | ≈0 in | the lowest in the US |
| ≈ Weather station: Rhodhiss Hydro Plt, NC, 12 mi from where the county’s people live. | ||
| Hot days (90°F+) | 32 days | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 69 days | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 13.1% of weeks | higher than 67% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈63.9°F | higher than 53% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 48.8 in | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $88/yr | lower than 86% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $65/yr | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $2.8/yr | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.8/yr | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $7.9/yr | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.04/yr | lower than 84% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 8.1 µg/m³ | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 193.1 mi | lower than 52% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈421.4 ft | lower than 51% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 88.2% | lower than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 26.1% | higher than 66% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.7% | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 8 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 15.3:1 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 86% | lower than 71% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 8.46 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.99 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.04 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 1.9 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 64/100k | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 6 | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2.2★ | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 74.1 yrs | lower than 65% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12.3% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 286/100k | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 64/100k | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 61.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 59 min | higher than 52% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 60 min | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 23 min | lower than 55% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 88.5% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.2% | higher than 45% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 8.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 64 min | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 29 per sq mi | higher than 58% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.7 per 1k | higher than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 10.5 per 1k | higher than 66% of US counties |
| Population | 163,573 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Median age | 42.1 | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +11.8 per 1k/yr | higher than 83% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 30.6% Dem | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 68.6% Rep | lower than 54% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % White | 71.9% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 11.5% | higher than 76% of US counties |
| % Black | 7.7% | higher than 72% of US counties |
| % Asian | 4.3% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 4.3% | higher than 69% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.4% | higher than 58% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 50 parks | lower than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19 | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 3.6 | higher than 60% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 77 min | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 3.5% | higher than 80% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 41 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 18 | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 681 km | higher than 79% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 16 km | higher than 76% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 106 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 47 | higher than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 7 | higher than 78% of US counties |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 82 | higher than 89% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 84% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 84 | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 48 km | higher than 73% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data