| | Hickory, NC | Asheville, NC | United States |
| Population | 42,831 | 93,272 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 51.8% | 52.2% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 48.2% | 47.8% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 38.3 | 40.3 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 40,186 | 83,407 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 37,222 | 68,889 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 28,301 | 61,607 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 11.4% | 34.8% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 46.5% | 50.7% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,445.2 | 2,046.7 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 29.6 | 45.6 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.1 | 0.4 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Hickory, NC | Asheville, NC | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 5.6% | 5.0% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 6.4% | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.2% | 2.8% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 5.7% | 2.7% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 5.1% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 13.8% | 17.6% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 14.7% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.5% | 12.4% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 6.4% | 6.0% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.8% | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 11.3% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.7% | 5.0% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 2.0% | 3.3% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Hickory, NC | Asheville, NC | United States |
| White | 64.7% | 77.5% | 59.4% |
| Black | 13.7% | 10.9% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 5.5% | 1.3% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.4% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 3.6% | 2.3% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 12.4% | 7.0% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Hickory, NC | Asheville, NC | United States |
| Married Population | 46.2% | 40.4% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 44.2% | 38.7% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.0% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 53.8% | 59.6% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 36.3% | 39.7% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 11.7% | 14.0% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 5.7% | 5.8% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.38 | 2.31 | 2.60 |
| Households | 17,363 | 38,933 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 10,156 | 18,230 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 28.0% | 27.4% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 44.3% | 50.0% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 7,207 | 20,703 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 19.8% | 14.2% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.9% | 8.4% | 10.8% |