Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area

Hickory Metro (The Unifour)
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Union Square in Downtown Hickory
Union Square in Downtown Hickory
Interactive Map of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC MSA, also known as The Unifour.
Country United States
State North Carolina
Principal cities - Hickory
 - Lenoir
 - Morganton
Area
1,666 sq mi (4,310 km2)
 • Land1,637.72 sq mi (4,241.7 km2)
 • Water34.28 sq mi (88.8 km2)
Elevation
305–2,559 ft (93–780 m)
Population
 (2025)
 • Urban
201,511 (189th)
 • MSA
376,890 (151st)
GDP
 • Metro$18.281 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Area codes828, 704

The Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, is an area consisting of four counties in North Carolina; Catawba, Burke, Caldwell, and Alexander. It is located in the Catawba Valley region of Western North Carolina. Locally, the metropolitan area is sometimes referred to as the Unifour.

The OMB includes the Unifour in the larger Charlotte–Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area.

The 2020 census gives the MSA's population as 365,276, with a July 1, 2025, estimate placing the population at 376,890.

Area

Counties

County Seat 2025 estimate 2020 Census Change Area Density
Catawba Newton 170,172160,610+5.95% 416.02 sq mi (1,077.5 km2) 409/sq mi (158/km2)
Burke Morganton 88,65587,570+1.24% 514.24 sq mi (1,331.9 km2) 172/sq mi (67/km2)
Caldwell Lenoir 81,10580,652+0.56% 474.61 sq mi (1,229.2 km2) 171/sq mi (66/km2)
Alexander Taylorsville 36,95836,444+1.41% 263.64 sq mi (682.8 km2) 140/sq mi (54/km2)
Total 376,890365,276+3.18% 1,668.51 sq mi (4,321.4 km2) 226/sq mi (87/km2)

Anchor city

Principal cities

Suburban towns and cities over 5,000 in population

(Including county and 2020 U.S. census population)

Suburban towns and cities under 5,000 in population

(Including county and 2020 U.S. census population)

Unincorporated communities

(Including county and 2020 U.S. census population)

Transportation

Mass transit

Greenway Public Transportation offers bus service to the cities of Conover, Hickory, Morganton, and Newton.

Roads

The Hickory region is served by Interstate 40 which passes through the center of Catawba and Burke counties.

Other important US highways in the region include: US 70 (east to Morehead City, west to Asheville), and US 321 (through Catawba and Caldwell Counties).

Primary state routes include NC 10, NC 16, NC 18, NC 90, NC 127, and NC 150.

Air

The region's primary general aviation airport is Hickory Regional Airport. The closest commercial airports are Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and Asheville Regional Airport.

Rail

With approximately twenty freight trains a day, Catawba County is a freight railroad transportation center. This is largely due to the areas strong manufacturing based economy, and its placement along the Norfolk Southern Railway line. The Caldwell County Railroad also serves the county and interchanges with Norfolk Southern in Hickory. Conover has been designated a stop on the future Western NC Rail service.

Higher education

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 341,851 people, 133,966 households, and 95,583 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 87.47% White, 6.91% African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.31% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 1.95% from other races, and 1.02% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.05% of the population.

The median income for a household in the MSA was $37,647, and the median income for a family was $44,236. Males had a median income of $29,273 versus $22,266 for females. The per capita income for the MSA was $18,404.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC (MSA)". Federal Reserve Economic Data. Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.
  2. 1 2 "OMB BULLETIN NO. 23-01" (PDF). Office of Management and Budget. July 21, 2023. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Unifour Regional Hazard Mitigation Plan" (PDF). Unifour Hazard Mitigation Planning Committee. February 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Area Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. May 26, 2026. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  5. ↑ Infrastructure Archived 2014-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, Caldwell County Economic Development Commission (retrieved 16 June 2014)
  6. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.