The Town Files

Catawba County, North Carolina

163,573 people. The median home is worth $241,600 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $67,864.

Towns in Catawba County

Towns in Catawba County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Hickory43,490$278,400$64,57637.5
Newton13,148$186,300$62,01538.2
St. Stephens8,852$213,300$60,39443.2
Lake Norman of Catawba8,658$492,600$112,65651.2
Conover8,421$271,300$65,97236.8
Long View5,088$157,300$46,73943.5
Maiden3,736$233,800$75,51141.9
Mountain View3,590$222,500$71,79242.1

People and housing

Catawba CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$241,600$228,900
Median rent$965$969
Median household income$67,864$60,458
Median age42.141.1
Bachelor's degree or higher26.1%24.5%
Below the poverty line12.7%14.3%

Jobs and pay

89,388 jobs in 2024, average pay $55,761 a year.

Largest industries in Catawba CountyManufacturing23,353 jobs · $61,362Retail10,146 jobs · $36,482Health care & social assistan…9,092 jobs · $60,432Hotels & restaurants7,626 jobs · $21,494Transportation & warehousing5,208 jobs · $55,847Administrative & support4,774 jobs · $39,767
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Catawba County0%4%8%12%16%2000200420082012201620202023 3.3%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 648 storm events in Catawba County from 1996 to 2026, with 2 deaths.

Storm events in Catawba County by type since 1996Hail147Drought37Tornado10High Wind11Ice Storm10Lightning21Heavy Snow23Flash Flood33Strong Wind11Winter Storm11
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Catawba County has been included in 21 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 28, 2024Tropical StormDR-4827: Tropical Storm Helene
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
March 25, 2020BiologicalDR-4487: Covid-19 Pandemic
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).