Hickory Municipal Building · Photo: Tylerg · CC BY-SA 3.0Hickory spent more per resident in 2022 than 79% of similar cities
Hickory’s city government spent $67.5 million on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, about $1,530 per resident. Water and other utilities ($18.8 million) and the airport ($2 million) are counted separately.
What stands out about how Hickory is run
Read from the city’s budget and official records.
Who’s in charge in Hickory
From public records with a current term; a name is hidden the day its term ends.
Council members and agencies: hickorync.gov ↗
Hickory’s meeting calendar isn’t in our feed yet. The city posts agendas and minutes on hickorync.gov ↗.
About $1,530 per resident a year, or $4.19 a day
Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: sewer & trash, at 24%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
$1,511 per resident in 2022: more than 79% of them
Hickory’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,511 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 19 North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,204, and the middle half spent $966–$1,452. Hickory spent more than 79% of them.
Includes sewer and trash ($13.4 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →
North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hickory itself left out).
Day-to-day spending is up 8% since 2022
Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hickory reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.
Day-to-day spending by fiscal year
Per resident: 2022: $1,511 · 2023: $1,433 · 2024: $1,530. Per resident it went from $1,511 to $1,530 (up 1%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 41,473 to 44,084.
full-time in March 2025, up from 600 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.
Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.
The typical homeowner pays $2,066 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.74% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Hickory’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.
Tax bills are one input to Hickory’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hickory →
One full-time city employee for every 62 residents
On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (44,084).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Hickory City Schools
Hickory’s K–12 school district, shared with Long View, Brookford. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $12,093 per pupil, $7,580 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
Catawba County Schools · $11,777 per pupil
Burke County Schools · $12,539 per pupil
Caldwell County Schools · $12,425 per pupil
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
Hickory’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hickory alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Catawba County’s results.
Donald J TrumpRepublican68.4%59,577 votes
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat30.5%26,569 votesOthers: 1.1% (963 votes).
Most votes in Catawba County: Donald J Trump
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Hickory lies in Catawba County; the rest in Burke County, Caldwell County. Every 2024 race in Catawba County is on the county’s page.
Catawba County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Hickory.
- 1Your cityMayorHank Guessas listed by Open States, October 9, 2026
- 2North Carolina HouseHickory is split between 3 districts
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseSplit between districts
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
How Hickory compares with the towns next door
Hickory spent $1,511 per resident in 2022; the 4 neighbors that reported 2022 spent $819 to $1,236. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.
| Town | Day-to-day, per resident (2022) | Tax bill |
|---|---|---|
| Long View | $819 | $1,259 |
| Granite Falls | $845 | $1,408 |
| Conover | $1,176 | $1,723 |
| Newton | $1,236 | $1,473 |
| Brookford | estimate | $1,056 |
| Hickory | $1,511 | $2,066 |
Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).
Reach Hickory’s government
The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.
Questions about Hickory’s government
How much does Hickory spend per resident?
About $1,530 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,511 was more than 79% of 19 North Carolina cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.
What is the property tax rate in Hickory?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $2,066 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.74% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hickorync.gov.
Who is the mayor of Hickory?
Hank Guess, as listed by Open States (checked October 9, 2026). The council and agencies are listed on hickorync.gov.
How did Hickory vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hickory alone. Catawba County, where 100% of Hickory lies, voted Trump 68.4%, Harris 30.5% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Hickory?
715 full-time and 87 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $3.0M (about $35.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.
Who represents Hickory in the state legislature?
Hickory is split among 3 State House districts and 2 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The North Carolina Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Hickory’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →