Hickory, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity-related role is Computer and Information Systems Manager at a median $163,010 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Cybersecurity Schools to Hickory
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer cybersecurity 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.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Hickory.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
67%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$57,289
Avg net price
$15,435/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 122
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
37%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,151
Avg net price
$27,061/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 61%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
80%
Graduation rate
47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$47,590
Avg net price
$22,270/yr
TuitionIn‑state$41,362
Out‑of‑state$41,362
Key stats
- Retention rate: 65%
- Programs offered: 35
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
59%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$48,160
Avg net price
$10,965/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 77%
- Programs offered: 108
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$40,144
Avg net price
$7,892/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 42
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,886
Avg net price
$24,516/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 75%
- Programs offered: 84
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
21%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$34,409
Avg net price
$16,512/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 54%
- Programs offered: 23
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
74%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,967
Avg net price
$20,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 82
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina cybersecurity page.
Cybersecurity 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) |
| Information Security Analyst |
$115,250 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$130,226 |
| Network and Computer Systems Administrator |
$80,970 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$91,492 |
| Computer Network Architect |
$109,950 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$124,237 |
| Computer Systems Analyst |
$93,970 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$106,181 |
| Computer and Information Systems Manager |
$163,010 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$184,192 |
| Computer Network Support Specialist |
$85,780 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$96,927 |
| Computer User Support Specialist |
$51,990 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$58,746 |
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 |
| Cybersecurity-related employment in Catawba County |
203 workers, 94 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Hickory-Area Cities With Cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity schools are near Hickory, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering cybersecurity programs near Hickory. The closest is Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, NC (3.6 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Limestone University (50.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying cybersecurity roles near Hickory?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying cybersecurity-related roles near Hickory are: Computer and Information Systems Manager ($163,010), Information Security Analyst ($115,250), Computer Network Architect ($109,950). 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 cybersecurity 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 cybersecurity?
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 Cybersecurity Programs
Other Programs Available in Hickory
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Hickory:
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- 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
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- Public Administration programs in Hickory, NC
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- 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
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- Machine Learning programs in Hickory, NC
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- Criminal Justice programs in Hickory, NC
- Nursing programs in Hickory, NC
- Business Administration programs in Hickory, NC
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- 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
- Accounting programs in Hickory, NC
- Healthcare Administration programs in Hickory, NC
- Social Work programs in Hickory, NC
- Counseling programs in Hickory, NC
Data verified: September 6, 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.
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