| | Hickory, NC | Spruce Pine, NC | United States |
| Expend. per Student | $10,003 | $11,736 | $15,905 |
| Educ. Expend. per Student | $9,282 | $11,366 | $13,142 |
| Instr. Expend. per Student | $5,893 | $6,671 | $7,999 |
| Pupil/Teacher Ratio | 15.09 | 13.31 | 16.23 |
| Students per Librarian | 717 | 399 | 4573 |
| Students per Counselor | 287 | 345 | 530 |
| Grade School Educ. | 3.7% | 5.4% | 4.8% |
| Some High School Educ. | 7.0% | 9.9% | 6.3% |
| High School Educ. | 89.3% | 84.8% | 88.9% |
| Some College Educ. | 18.6% | 24.5% | 20.0% |
| 2 yr College Grad. | 10.4% | 19.2% | 8.7% |
| 4 yr College Grad. | 36.7% | 19.2% | 33.7% |
| Masters Grad. | 8.2% | 6.3% | 9.3% |
| Professional Degree | 3.4% | 0.7% | 2.2% |
| Doctorate Degree | 1.7% | 0.6% | 1.5% |