BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Behavioral Health Science Schools Near Hickory, NC (2026)
Hickory, North Carolina has 3 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs, with tuition ranging from $11,588 to $36,450 per year for indexed programs. Hickory has a population of about 43,747. Median household income is $63,361 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area, the top-earning behavioral health science-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $77,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Behavioral Health Science Schools to Hickory
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer behavioral health science programs near Hickory, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Hickory city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
No school data available.
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina behavioral health science page.
Behavioral Health Science Wages Near Hickory
Hickory is part of the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC metro area (BLS area code 25860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor | $51,060 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $57,695 |
| Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker | $57,150 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $64,576 |
| Social and Community Service Manager | $77,030 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $87,040 |
| Social and Human Service Assistant | $40,250 | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC | $45,480 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Hickory at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 43,747 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $63,361 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 35.9% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 88.5 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Hickory-Area Cities With Behavioral Health Science Programs
- Lincolnton, NC – 19.1 mi away (23,264 pop)
- Statesville, NC – 25.5 mi away (26,506 pop)
- Mooresville, NC – 30.0 mi away (36,543 pop)
- Cornelius, NC – 30.9 mi away (28,515 pop)
- Shelby, NC – 33.7 mi away (27,288 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited behavioral health science schools are near Hickory, NC?
Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering behavioral health science programs near Hickory. The closest is Johnson C Smith University in Charlotte, NC (43.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of South Carolina-Upstate (63.2 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying behavioral health science roles near Hickory?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying behavioral health science-related roles near Hickory are: Social and Community Service Manager ($77,030), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker ($57,150), Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor ($51,060). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Lincolnton instead of Hickory?
Lincolnton, NC is 19.1 miles from Hickory and has its own set of local behavioral health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Hickory an affordable place to study behavioral health science?
Hickory’s median household income of $63,361 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Hickory while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Behavioral Health Science Programs
- Is a Behavioral Health Science degree worth it?
- Main Behavioral Health Science degree guide
- Online Behavioral Health Science programs in North Carolina
- Behavioral Health Science programs by state
Other Programs Available in Hickory
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Hickory:
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Hickory, NC
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Hickory, NC
- Journalism programs in Hickory, NC
- Public Relations programs in Hickory, NC
- Communication Disorders programs in Hickory, NC
- Speech Pathology programs in Hickory, NC
- Technical Communication programs in Hickory, NC
- Professional Writing programs in Hickory, NC
- Strategic Communications programs in Hickory, NC
- Business Development programs in Hickory, NC
- Construction Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Economics programs in Hickory, NC
- Financial Technology programs in Hickory, NC
- Forensic Accounting programs in Hickory, NC
- Health Information Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Hospitality Management programs in Hickory, NC
- International Business programs in Hickory, NC
- Organizational Leadership programs in Hickory, NC
- Management Information Systems programs in Hickory, NC
- Nonprofit Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Operations Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Public Administration programs in Hickory, NC
- Real Estate programs in Hickory, NC
- Recreation Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Retail Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Risk Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Statistics programs in Hickory, NC
- Taxation programs in Hickory, NC
- Corrections programs in Hickory, NC
- Crime Analysis programs in Hickory, NC
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Hickory, NC
- Criminology programs in Hickory, NC
- Cybercrime programs in Hickory, NC
- Emergency Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Fire Science programs in Hickory, NC
- Forensic Science programs in Hickory, NC
- Legal Services programs in Hickory, NC
- Legal Studies programs in Hickory, NC
- Paralegal programs in Hickory, NC
- Security Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Cloud Computing programs in Hickory, NC
- Computer Engineering programs in Hickory, NC
- Innovation programs in Hickory, NC
- Mobile App Development programs in Hickory, NC
- Software Development programs in Hickory, NC
- User Experience programs in Hickory, NC
- Web Development programs in Hickory, NC
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Hickory, NC
- Machine Learning programs in Hickory, NC
- Supply Chain Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Data Analytics programs in Hickory, NC
- Public Health programs in Hickory, NC
- Human Resources programs in Hickory, NC
- Project Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Special Education programs in Hickory, NC
- Homeland Security programs in Hickory, NC
- Marketing programs in Hickory, NC
- Finance programs in Hickory, NC
- Kinesiology programs in Hickory, NC
- Sports Management programs in Hickory, NC
- Early Childhood Education programs in Hickory, NC
- Elementary Education programs in Hickory, NC
- Biology programs in Hickory, NC
- Communications programs in Hickory, NC
- Graphic Design programs in Hickory, NC
- Human Services programs in Hickory, NC
- MBA programs in Hickory, NC
- Criminal Justice programs in Hickory, NC
- Nursing programs in Hickory, NC
- Business Administration programs in Hickory, NC
- Computer Science programs in Hickory, NC
- Psychology programs in Hickory, NC
- Education programs in Hickory, NC
- Engineering programs in Hickory, NC
- Technology programs in Hickory, NC
- Liberal Arts programs in Hickory, NC
- Healthcare programs in Hickory, NC
- Cybersecurity programs in Hickory, NC
- Accounting programs in Hickory, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Hickory, NC
- Social Work programs in Hickory, NC
- Counseling programs in Hickory, NC
Related from Our Editorial Library
- Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
- Best Online Colleges Ranking
- Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students
Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
Back to Behavioral Health Science Schools in North Carolina (2026)