Metro Life Score
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
Top-quartile composite Life Score — grade B+, 77th percentile of the national corpus.
- 56.6
- Life Score / 100
- B+
- Grade (curved)
- #90
- of 387 metros
- 77%
- composite percentile
Data updated August 2026
Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census · Report a data issue · Data changelog
The verdict
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is top-quartile composite Life Score — #90 of 387 (56.6/100, grade B+, 77th percentile). Carried by cost of living at 83/100; held back most by wages at 22/100.
- 77th
- composite percentile
- #90
- of 387 peers
- 83rd
- cost dimension percentile
- 22nd
- wages dimension percentile
Life Score shape · UPPER · COST-LED · signature cost
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton: affordability leads the Life Score story
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton is a UPPER-band metro whose cost dimension sits at the 83rd percentile of 387 US metros (CHEAP) while composite is #90 (56.6/100, grade B+). Cost of Living at 83/100 carries the upside; Wages at 22/100 is the residual drag. According to PlainCompare's federal Life Score corpus ranking, Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC ranks #90 of 387 metros by composite Life Score (highest = #1) and #65 of 387 by cost-of-living dimension score (highest = #1). Methodology.
BEA RPP 88.5 (rent-RPP 59.6). BLS median salary $59,550, 148,530 jobs (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Retail Salespersons, Stockers and Order Fillers). HUD 2BR FMR $1,095/mo (studio $858).
FBI UCR (NC): 365 violent, 1930 property/100K. NCES: 16.1:1 ratio, 7.6% charter. DOL infant childcare $9,487/yr. EPA: 42 Superfund sites (NC).
Where Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton sits among all US metros
Composite Life Score vs the national field
57 Top 23% higher than 77% of 387 US metros
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, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · August 2026
How the 56.6 is built
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's Life Score, decomposed
Dimension detail
How Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton scores, dimension by dimension
Score Breakdown
Dimension Scores
Key Data Points
Geography used: crime, schools, childcare, and environment cards above are NC state-level when metro-specific feeds are unavailable, see the scope key at the top of this page.
Compare Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton With...
Ranking Context
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton outranks 77% of U.S. metros.
| Rank | Metro | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| #87 | Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 56.7 | B+ |
| #88 | Mansfield, OH | 56.7 | B+ |
| #89 | Casper, WY | 56.8 | B+ |
| #90 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | 56.6 | B+ |
| #91 | Minot, ND | 56.4 | B+ |
| #92 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 56.3 | B+ |
| #93 | Oshkosh-Neenah, WI | 56.0 | B+ |
Quality vs. Affordability
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC's quality rank (top 23% highest-quality) and affordability rank (top 17% most affordable) sit close together -- an unusually proportionate metro where overall quality and cost-of-living move together.
NC Metro Scores
Read with Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton
Nearest composite peers and cost poles for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton (UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW), replacing the fixed Explore/Guides strip.
Mansfield, OH
ABS(composite) peer at 56.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA
ABS(composite) peer at 56.7 (Δ 0.1 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Casper, WY
ABS(composite) peer at 56.8 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); higher Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Minot, ND
ABS(composite) peer at 56.4 (Δ 0.2 vs this metro); lower Life Score · grade B+ vs this page's UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW.
Goldsboro, NC (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 84/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Macon-Bibb County, GA (cost pole)
ABS(cost_score) orthogonal peer at 83/100 (Δ 0); cost stamp CHEAP vs this metro's CHEAP.
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC relocation guide
Stamp-branched guide for UPPER · COST-LED · CHEAP/LOW - how to read federal Life Score inputs before a move.
Using Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's top-third Life Score
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton scores 56.6/100 overall, but Cost of Living (83.4) and Wages (22.3) sit 61.1 points apart, so decide which of the two matters more to you before leaning on the total.
- Cost of Living is the strongest of Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's seven dimensions (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is your priority, this is where the metro earns its rank. See all seven dimensions
- Wages is the weakest (weighted 20% in the composite); if it is a dealbreaker, weigh it before the ranking does. Rank metros on the composite
- Greenville is the nearest comparison this page can offer; put the two side by side on the same seven dimensions. Compare with Greenville
A high composite is a weighted blend; it does not mean every dimension is strong.