Hickory's labor force shrinks even as wages lead the state.
166.5K → 162.3K
Metro labor force change
May to August 2026, continuing long-term decline
+6.4% YoY
Catawba County wage growth
Top of NC's 14 largest counties, Q3 2025
3.5%
Metro unemployment rate
vs 4.1% U.S., 3.5% NC statewide, Aug 2026
$1,120
Metro avg weekly wage
vs $1,459 national average
This Month's Takeaways
01
Labor force is shrinking faster than jobs are disappearing.
The metro's civilian labor force fell by roughly 4,200 people between May and August even as unemployment held near 3.5%, consistent with people leaving the labor force rather than losing jobs. That distinction matters for any read on economic capacity — a tight labor market here reflects supply scarcity, not demand weakness.
02
Catawba County wage growth outpaces every large NC county.
Catawba's +6.4% year-over-year wage growth in Q3 2025 topped all 14 of the state's largest counties, even though its $1,120 average weekly wage still trails the $1,459 national figure by nearly 25%. Rapid percentage growth off a lower base signals catch-up dynamics, not necessarily overheating.
03
Manufacturing investment announcements cut against the labor-supply story.
Corning and American Fuji Seal combined are advancing over $220M in local investment and roughly 233 announced positions at Trivium Corporate Center, even as the broader labor force has fallen by 1,750 people over the year. Whether these projects draw idle workers back in or compete for an already-thin pool is the open question for local economic capacity.
04
Construction and delivery pay softness diverges from the state's gains.
Metro construction laborer pay is down moderately and delivery driver pay down significantly even as North Carolina added 2,100 construction jobs statewide in August. Localized softness in blue-collar advertised pay, against statewide sector growth, may suggest Hickory's construction and logistics activity is lagging the state's broader momentum rather than tracking it.
Local Economic Conditions
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's civilian labor force contracted from 166.5 thousand in May to 162.3 thousand by August, a structural decline that predates this year and reflects slowing population growth rather than a sudden hiring pullback. Against that shrinking base, Catawba County posted the strongest wage growth of North Carolina's 14 largest counties in Q3 2025 at +6.4% year-over-year, even as metro average weekly wages of roughly $1,120 remain nearly $340 below the national average — a combination that points to a tightening but still comparatively low-wage labor market.
Open Threads in the Data
Shrinking labor force alongside above-average wage growth signals a metro where the constraint on economic expansion is increasingly workers, not demand — a dynamic commerce leaders should factor into any read on local business capacity. Named capital commitments, including Corning's $170-$267.9M expansion adding 132 jobs and American Fuji Seal's $52M, 101-job project, suggest investors still see Hickory as viable for production-scale growth despite the labor force headwind. Current conditions suggest economic development leaders track whether these announced projects translate into realized hiring within the shrinking labor pool, or whether they draw workers from neighboring counties and commuting patterns shift as a result.
Advertised Pay Indicators · WageScape Benchmark 25 Jobs
Job postings data for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA metro — median advertised pay, its recent trend, and the number of active postings behind each figure. Jobs are grouped for readability and are not the same as the 10 sector classifications on the next page. For additional job detail contact WageScape.
Retail Trade
| Retail Sales Associate |
$27,040 |
→ Stable |
1,473 |
| Retail Cashier |
$25,075 |
↓ Moderate decline |
853 |
Transportation & Warehousing
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate |
$35,360 |
→ Stable |
425 |
| CDL Truck Driver |
$78,000 |
→ Stable |
2,880 |
| Delivery Driver |
$31,588 |
↓ Significant decline |
1,239 |
| Warehouse Manager |
— |
Limited local postings |
— |
Construction
| Construction Laborer |
$35,360 |
↓ Moderate decline |
86 |
Construction/Skilled Trades
| Electrician |
$64,480 |
↑ Significant increase |
394 |
| HVAC Technician |
$72,800 |
↑ Significant increase |
48 |
Manufacturing
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler |
$36,135 |
→ Stable |
393 |
Cross-Sector
| Customer Service Representative |
$37,682 |
→ Stable |
219 |
| Operations Manager |
$83,364 |
↑ Moderate increase |
104 |
Leisure & Hospitality
| Food Service Worker |
$29,652 |
↑ Moderate increase |
74 |
Healthcare
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide |
$36,400 |
→ Stable |
1,147 |
| Registered Nurse |
$100,614 |
↑ Significant increase |
7,312 |
Admin/Office Support
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk |
$37,409 |
↓ Moderate decline |
219 |
Information/Technology
| Software Engineer |
$167,621 |
→ Stable |
16 |
| Data Engineer |
$126,436 |
→ Stable |
6,795 |
Professional & Business Services
| Accountant |
$67,366 |
↑ Moderate increase |
63 |
| HR Generalist/Manager |
$72,448 |
↓ Moderate decline |
64 |
| Marketing Specialist |
$62,593 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,382 |
| Business Analyst |
$87,748 |
↑ Moderate increase |
27 |
Finance & Insurance
| Financial Analyst |
$93,069 |
↓ Moderate decline |
29 |
Government/Education
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher |
$47,499 |
↑ Significant increase |
1,123 |
Cross-Sector Sales
| Account Manager |
$63,102 |
↑ Moderate increase |
75 |
Industry Snapshot · Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA
Advertised pay and job-posting trends across the whole metro economy, rolled up by employer industry — not just the bellwether roles above.
| Sector |
Median Pay Change |
Job Postings Change |
| Construction |
↓ −4.0% |
↑ +88.4% |
| Manufacturing |
↑ +15.6% |
↑ +141.8% |
| Retail Trade |
→ −1.8% |
↑ +97.2% |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities |
↑ +6.9% |
↑ +97.2% |
| Information |
↑ +10.0% |
↑ +14.8% |
| Financial Activities |
→ +0.2% |
↑ +148.6% |
| Professional & Business Services |
↑ +11.8% |
↑ +123.0% |
| Education & Health Services |
↑ +14.3% |
↑ +168.9% |
| Leisure & Hospitality |
↓ −3.5% |
↑ +79.4% |
| Government |
↑ +91.1% |
↑ +998.5% |
Looking Ahead · Next 30–60 Days
Potential inflection point
Watch whether Corning's expanded investment and American Fuji Seal's $52M project begin showing up in actual payroll counts over the next two reporting cycles, not just announcements. Realized hiring against a labor force that fell to 162.3 thousand would be the clearest test of whether capital commitments can still clear a tightening local labor supply.
Worth watching
North Carolina's statewide labor force participation rate sits at 57.8%, tied for 45th nationally and down 1.6 points year-over-year; any further Hickory-specific participation data will clarify whether the metro is dragging the statewide figure down or tracking it.
Emerging pressure point
Truist's announced 253 layoffs across North Carolina as part of a $5.5B strategic pivot bears watching for any Hickory-area exposure, given the metro's financial-activities sector already shed 600 jobs statewide in August.
Early indicator
Immigration enforcement activity has been cited statewide as disproportionately affecting agriculture and construction labor supply; Hickory's construction laborer pay softness is consistent with, though not proof of, that broader pattern and warrants continued bare-fact tracking rather than attribution.
Sources & Methodology
Pay and hiring data provided by WageScape. See every source cited in this report, with links →
Advertised pay reflects the pay ranges employers publish in active job postings in this metro, not survey or payroll data. Pay trends compare the current period with the prior period for the same metro and role. Sector figures group postings by the employer's industry classification; sectors with limited classified postings are marked as such rather than estimated. This briefing is independent of, and complements, official statistics from the BLS and state labor market information offices.
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