Hickory, North Carolina has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs, with tuition ranging from $31,900 to $44,621 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 nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $213,630 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Nursing Schools to Hickory
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing 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.
Acceptance rate
85%
Graduation rate
49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$45,543
Avg net price
$20,689/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,900
Out‑of‑state$31,900
Key stats
- Retention rate: 73%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$36,977
Avg net price
$10,528/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina nursing page.
Nursing 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) |
| Registered Nurse |
$80,060 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$90,463 |
| Licensed Practical Nurse |
$62,430 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$70,542 |
| Nurse Anesthetist |
$213,630 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$241,390 |
| Nurse Midwife |
$126,040 |
NC statewide |
$142,418 |
| Nurse Practitioner |
$126,620 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$143,073 |
| Nursing Assistant |
$37,430 |
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
$42,294 |
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 |
| Nursing-related employment in Catawba County |
1,952 workers, 43 establishments |
BLS QCEW 2024 annual |
Other Hickory-Area Cities With Nursing 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 nursing schools are near Hickory, NC?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Hickory. The closest is Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC (0.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mitchell Community College (24.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Hickory?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Hickory are: Nurse Anesthetist ($213,630), Nurse Practitioner ($126,620), Nurse Midwife ($126,040). 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 nursing 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 nursing?
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 Nursing Programs
Other Programs Available in Hickory
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Hickory:
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- 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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