Department of Numbers

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, North Carolina Job Growth

There were 159,500 jobs in Hickory, North Carolina in May 2023 according to the CES survey of employers. The CPS survey of households showed 170,077 employed persons for the month. Hickory added 200 jobs in May 2023 according to the CES survey while the broader CPS measure of employment rose by 253 (Comparing CES and CPS employment numbers.). You can also compare Hickory job growth to job growth in other cities.

Employment Survey May 2023 Month/Month Year/Year
CES 159,500 +200 +2,500
CPS 170,077 +253 +602

Note: The CPS survey data is now seasonally adjusted at the metropolitan level by with the new BLS SSA series.

Hickory, North Carolina Employment Changes

The charts below show the monthly job growth for Hickory as measured by the CES and CPS surveys. To illustrate the trend, the 3 month moving average change in employment is shown in green.

CES Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

CPS Employment Change: 1 Month, Rolling 3 Month

Total Employment for Hickory, North Carolina

CES employment for Hickory peaked in June 2000 at 187,100. Since then 27,600 jobs have been lost in Hickory according to the employer survey. From a trough of 132,800 in April 2020, Hickory has gained 26,700 jobs according to CES employment figures.

CPS employment reached a maximum of 183,416 for Hickory in August 2000. 13,339 jobs have been lost in Hickory since then according to the household survey. From a April 2020 low of 132,795, Hickory has added 37,282 jobs according to the CPS survey.

Employment: CES, CPS

CES and CPS employment chart through May 2023

Hickory, North Carolina Employment History

Date CES
Employment
CES
Month/Month
CPS
Employment
CPS
Month/Month
May 2023 159,500 200 170,077 253
April 2023 159,300 -700 169,824 193
March 2023 160,000 700 169,631 138
February 2023 159,300 100 169,493 6
January 2023 159,200 0 169,487 234
December 2022 159,200 200 169,253 16
November 2022 159,000 -100 169,237 2
October 2022 159,100 300 169,235 -55
September 2022 158,800 700 169,290 -74
August 2022 158,100 0 169,364 -88
July 2022 158,100 700 169,452 -56
June 2022 157,400 400 169,508 33