What is the cost of living in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 88.5, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 59.6, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,095/month.

What is the median salary in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

The median salary in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is $59,550 annually (mean: $62,217). Top occupations include Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers.

How safe is Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

The violent crime rate in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area is 365 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1930 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

The state of NC has 2,703 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 15.8:1. Charter schools make up 7.6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

Infant center-based childcare in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area averages $9,487 per year. Preschool averages $6,548/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton a good place to relocate?

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton has a Life Score of 63/100 (C), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This places Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton in the top decile of scored metros, a genuinely strong all-around profile.

Where does Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton ranks #56 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

LiveAbility 60.1/100 places Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton #56 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

88.5
Cost index (US=100): $1,095
2BR rent / mo: $59,550
Median salary: 60.1
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton ranks #56 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (60.1/100), with its strongest marks in safety and cost of living.

#56
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 11,046,024
metro-area population: 365
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,703
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: job market (22/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton ranks #56 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 88.5 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,095/mo, median salary $59,550; LiveAbility Score 60.1/100, strongest in safety and cost of living.

Signature: LiveAbility 60.1/100 places Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton #56 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP 88.5 lands in the cheaper third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,095/mo.

LiveAbility 60.1/100 puts Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton in the top third (#56 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area is 148,530.

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

60 Top 14% higher than 86% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton MSA; housing RPP 59.6 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,095/mo.

Studio

$858

/month

1 Bedroom

$908

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,095

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,372

/month

4 Bedroom

$1,660

/month

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton wages and employment

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton posts 148,530 total employment with median salary $59,550 against a cheaper-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$59,550

Mean Salary

$62,217

Total Employment

148,530

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$40,240
Retail Salespersons	$30,520
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,130
Cashiers	$27,570
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$42,770

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area from NCES.

Schools

2,703

Enrollment

1,544,406

Student:Teacher

15.8:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$9,487

per year

Toddler (Center)

$7,856

per year

Preschool (Center)

$6,548

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's composite Life Score is 63/100 (C), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

83/100

Elite

Wages

22/100

Weak

Rent

83/100

Elite

Crime

94/100

Elite

Schools

60/100

Above average

Childcare

59/100

Above average

Environment

35/100

Below average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton ranks #56 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 60.1/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Safety (94/100)

Safety

94
Cost of living

83
Housing

83
Climate

69
Low hazard

42
Schools

40
Air quality

36
Job market

22

What this shows Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's strongest dimensions are safety and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is job market at 22/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton to

Dalton Daphne-Fairhope-Foley Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek Decatur Decatur

Metros near Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton?

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton runs a $59,550 median salary at a 88.5 cost index, ranking #56 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.