Human Resources Managers salary in Hickory, NC
Median pay for human resources managers in Hickory, NC: $113,100/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $76,570 – $201,170 · about 170 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($123,200) by −$10,100 (-8%).
What it's really worth in Hickory
With Hickory's cost of living at 89 (US=100), that $113,100 has the buying power of about $126,547 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $57,943 · median home $271,739 · median rent $1,496/mo.
How Hickory ranks for this job
On raw pay, Hickory, NC is 125th of the 185 metros we hold human resources managers wages for. Once Hickory's cost of living is applied, it ranks 98th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Hickory is one of the places where human resources managers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Hickory
A median home in Hickory, NC costs $271,739 — about 2.4× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,496/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where human resources managers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Hickory.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Hickory | Rent vs Hickory |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $212,030 | +87% | 2.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $196,760 | +74% | 2.2× |
| New York, NY | $181,080 | +60% | 2.3× |
| Washington, DC | $168,770 | +49% | 1.6× |
Same job elsewhere in NC
| Metro | Median pay | vs Hickory | Rent vs Hickory |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte, NC | $136,430 | +21% | 1.2× |
| Durham, NC | $133,380 | +18% | 1.1× |
| Raleigh, NC | $130,480 | +15% | 1.1× |
| Winston-Salem, NC | $127,490 | +13% | 1× |
Staying in NC keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Hickory
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 185 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.