ZIP Code 28601 — Hickory city, NC Demographics & Data

ZIP code 28601 covers Hickory, NC in Catawba County with a population of about 52,839.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 40.2 (near the U.S. median).

It sits in telephone area code 828; U.S. House district NC-10; the CHARLOTTE media market.

Hickory, NC sits in a university / college context (near lenoir-rhyne university (2.2 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 28601 is about $67,839 — about 10% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 12.7%; unemployment rate near 4.0%; 34.7% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (roughly in line with the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Retail trade, and Healthcare; about 8.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 7.2 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $236,100 — about 32% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $789 (about 32% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 68.1% (about 2.7 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 28601 in Hickory, NC, a household would need roughly $65,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,517. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($67,839). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Hickory city, NC as Relatively Low (composite score 80.6), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (85.1) and hurricane (76.9). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Hickory city, NC show little to no average snow and around 47.1 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 2,194 for ZIP 28601 (Hickory city, NC) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.