Best Legal Studies Schools Near Hickory, NC (2026)

Hickory, North Carolina has 1 accredited school offering legal studies 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 legal studies-related role is Lawyer at a median $97,330 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer legal studies 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 legal studies page.


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.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Paralegal and Legal Assistant$48,530Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC$54,836
Lawyer$97,330Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC$109,977
Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant$39,990Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC$45,186

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

MetricValueSource
Population43,747Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$63,361Census 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


Frequently Asked Questions

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering legal studies programs near Hickory. The closest is Limestone University in Gaffney, SC (50.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Limestone University (50.8 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying legal studies-related roles near Hickory are: Lawyer ($97,330), Paralegal and Legal Assistant ($48,530), Legal Secretary and Administrative Assistant ($39,990). 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 legal studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

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.


Other Programs Available in Hickory

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Hickory:

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.