Hickory is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. Hickory had the 162nd largest urban area in the United States. It is the economic, social, and cultural center of the Catawba Valley. As of the 2000 census, the city had a Metropolitan Combined Statistical Area population of 341,851, making it the 4th largest metropolitan area in North Carolina. The CSA, which includes Catawba, Caldwell, Burke, and Alexander Counties is often referred to as the "Unifour," although this name is largely unknown outside the region. Hickory is the recipient of numerous awards, including the 1998 Money Magazine's "most livable place to live" (ranked 16th among medium-sized Southern cities) and being twice-named an All-America City.

As of the census^GR2 of 2006, there were 56,267 people, 24,774 households, and 16,361 families residing in the city of Hickory NC. The population density was 512.0/km (1,326.1/mi). There were 16,571 housing units at an average density of 227.9/km (640.4/mi). The racial makeup of the city was 77.23% White, 14.09% African American, 0.19% Native American, 3.90% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 3.08% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.69% of the population.

There were 15,372 households out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.1% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,236, and the median income for a family was $47,522. Males had a median income of $31,486 versus $23,666 for females. The per capita income for the city was $23,263. About 8.4% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

364,759 people live within 25 miles of Hickory; 1.8 million people within 50 miles of Hickory. Source: www.hickorygov.com