| ZIP Codes: | 10 ZIP Codes (9 Standard, 1 PO Box, 0 Unique) [See All] |
| Area Codes: | 704 / 828 / 980 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (GMT -05:00) |
| Local Time: | 2:12:56 PM |
| Population: | 172,263 [See All] |
| FIPS: | 37035 |
| CBSA: | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
| Land Area: | 407 sq mi |
| Water Area: | 16 sq mi |
| Coordinates: | 35.6745, -81.1812 |
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172,263 residents live across 10 ZIPs covering 407 sq mi, served by 8 distinct USPS-recognized cities.
Population moved from 162,844 to 172,263 from 2014 to 2024 — a +5.8% change. 7 ZIPs gained residents, 2 lost.
The county's wealthiest ZIP 28682 (Terrell, $129,390 median) and poorest ZIP 28613 (Conover, $58,707) are 17.5 miles apart — a 2.2× income gap across local geography.
Median home values vary 2.5× across this county — from $180,900 in 28610 (Claremont) to $459,200 in 28673 (Sherrills Ford).
Density varies 7× across the county — from 143 people/sq mi in 28609 (Catawba) to 1,059 in 28601 (Hickory).
Educational attainment ranges from 13.8% bachelor's+ in 28610 (Claremont) to 43.7% in 28673 (Sherrills Ford) — the breadth of educational profiles across the area.
Within North Carolina, this is the #17 most populous of 100 counties and ranks #16 for median household income with the #39 fastest decade growth .
Weighted by population, the typical household earns about $68,846 across the county — reflecting what a typical resident sees, not a simple ZIP average.
26.0% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher (31,442 of 120,992 reporting).
9 Standard delivery, 1 PO Box only, 0 single-entity Unique ZIPs serve this county.
| ZIP | City | Type | Population | Median Income | Area (sq mi) | 10-yr Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28601 | Hickory | Standard | 53,329 | $67,817 | 50.3 | 9.7% |
| 28602 | Hickory | Standard | 31,113 | $62,048 | 70.1 | 4.8% |
| 28658 | Newton | Standard | 26,336 | $72,042 | 73.0 | -0.1% |
| 28613 | Conover | Standard | 23,357 | $58,707 | 43.3 | 1.2% |
| 28650 | Maiden | Standard | 12,746 | $74,922 | 47.9 | 9.7% |
| 28610 | Claremont | Standard | 10,192 | $65,722 | 40.5 | -3.9% |
| 28673 | Sherrills Ford | Standard | 6,874 | $99,688 | 29.5 | 18.1% |
| 28609 | Catawba | Standard | 6,615 | $77,679 | 46.3 | 10.6% |
| 28682 | Terrell | Standard | 1,701 | $129,390 | 6.4 | 58.1% |
| 28603 | Hickory | PO Box | — | — | 0.0 | — |