2026 Compare Cities Economy:
Paducah, KY vs Hickory, NC

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Highlights
- Household income in Hickory, is 26% more than it is in Paducah and is 30% below the National Average.
- Paducah unemployment rate is 6.2%.
- Hickory unemployment rate is 4.5%.
 Paducah, KYHickory, NCUnited States
 Unemployment Rate  Unlock4.5%6.0%
 Recent Job Growth  Unlock1.6%1.6%
 Future Job Growth28.0%  Unlock33.5%
 Sales Taxes6.0%  Unlock6.2%
 Income Taxes  Unlock5.3%4.6%
 Income per Cap.$32,813  Unlock$37,638
 Household Income  Unlock$53,117$69,021
 Family Median Income$58,397  Unlock$85,028
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 Est. Households By Income
 Paducah, KYHickory, NCUnited States
 Income Less Than 15K  Unlock12.5%9.4%
 Income between 15K and 20K6.7%  Unlock3.8%
 Income between 20K and 30K  Unlock11.5%8.1%
 Income between 30K and 40K9.0%  Unlock8.0%
 Income between 40K and 50K  Unlock7.4%7.6%
 Income between 50K and 60K7.0%  Unlock7.2%
 Income between 60K and 75K  Unlock8.2%9.6%
 Income between 75K and 100K11.2%  Unlock12.8%
 Income between 100K and 150K  Unlock12.7%16.3%
 Income between 150K and 200K2.7%  Unlock7.8%
 Income greater than 200K  Unlock5.5%9.5%
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 Population By Occupation
 Paducah, KYHickory, NCUnited States
 Management, business, finance13.1%  Unlock16.4%
 Engineering, computers, science  Unlock4.9%6.5%
 Community, social services2.4%  Unlock1.8%
 Legal  Unlock0.4%1.2%
 Education, library7.2%  Unlock6.2%
 Arts, design, media, sports, entertainment  Unlock1.4%2.0%
 Healthcare practitioners and technology9.1%  Unlock6.2%
 Healthcare support  Unlock2.4%3.3%
 Firefighters, law enforcement0.9%  Unlock2.1%
 Food preparation, serving  Unlock5.1%5.4%
 Building maintenance4.1%  Unlock3.6%
 Personal care  Unlock3.1%2.6%
 Sales, office, administrative support24.1%  Unlock20.9%
 Farming, fishing, forestry  Unlock0.0%0.6%
 Construction, extraction, maintenance/repair5.5%  Unlock8.1%
 Production, transportation, material moving  Unlock17.7%13.1%
Reviews for Paducah    16 Reviews

Joel · 

I have visited it the 1st time and thought it was a rundown ghetto but the 2nd time I loved  More

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Over 6 years ago

The downtown area is fun and the murals on the floodwall provide an interesting history of the  More

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Over 12 years ago

Move here six years ago, and was very optimistic. I love meeting new people and adventure. Me my husband and two kids moved here from Louisville are. This place is like  More

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Reviews for Hickory    8 Reviews

Over 3 years ago

Hickory is has wonderful amenities such as the science museum, children's museum, aquarium, art museum, symphony orchestra, and great universities. Its not far from  More

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Over 4 years ago

Hickory is a nice place to live. There are great parks here. Glen Hilton is a beautiful park with lots of play structures and tall trees nice elevated walking path.  More

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Cons, No ethnic diversity"... How is that a "Con"? That means it has a rich traditional culture, where most people share a interest in the same  More

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