Commercial Real Estate Market in Hickory, NC
Updated monthly: sale, lease, property records, location trend, and more… · Last update: October 31
131 active listings and 2,889 off-market properties in Hickory, NC. Commercial property asks $178/SF to buy and $12.00/SF/Yr to lease.
Market Trends
Hickory, NC spans 117.7 square miles in Catawba County, North Carolina. Figures below refresh monthly; last updated 31 October 2026.
Office
Office vacancy in Hickory, NC runs 20.2% across the South region in 2025, up from 14.4% in 2019.
Retail
Retail vacancy in Hickory, NC runs 5.4% across the South region in 2025, down from 7% in 2020.
Industrial
Industrial vacancy in Hickory, NC runs 7.9% across the South region in 2025, up from 6% in 2019. Nearly 2.3x the 2022 low of 3.5%.
Multifamily
Multifamily space in Hickory, NC has a median asking sale price of $198/SF. Vacancy runs 11.3% across the South region in 2025, up from 8.5% in 2022.
Zoning & Land Use
Land Use Mix share of zoned land by category
- Residential 62.7%
- Industrial 18.9%
- Commercial 11.2%
- Civic 4.1%
- Planned_development 3.2%
Largest Zones share of zoned land by district
Hickory, NC zones 27,373 acres across 14 districts. Commercial zoning covers 11.2% of zoned land, residential 62.7% and industrial 18.9%. The largest single district is Medium Density Residential 2 at 24.2%. For commercial buyers the practical constraint is that only 30.1% of land carries a commercial or industrial designation.
The R-2 zoning district is composed of predominantly single family detached development. It allows a maximum density of 4 dwelling units per acre. Public infrastructure is required to serve this type of development.
Market overview
Demographics & Economy
Hickory, NC has 83,157 residents in 36,341 households. Density runs 706 people per square mile. Median household income here is $63,695 and median gross rent $909 a month.
Tools
Lease vs Buy Breakeven
At $12.00/SF/Yr lease vs $178/SF buy → buying wins if held > 3.6 years.
At a 6.7% gross asking yield the payback reads short relative to leasing. Assumes 30% down at 6.5% fixed, 2% a year in taxes and upkeep, 3% appreciation, 5% opportunity cost, 2% closing plus 5% selling costs, and a 3% annual rent escalator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the median price per square foot for commercial property in Hickory?
How much does it cost to lease commercial space in Hickory?
Is it cheaper to lease or buy commercial space in Hickory?
What zoning applies to commercial property in Hickory?
Where does Realmo's Hickory market data come from?
Methodology & data sources
- Asking prices and medians
- There are 85 active for-sale and 46 active for-lease listings in Hickory, NC. The medians are based on 15 of the for-sale and 10 of the for-lease listings, those that state a price or rent per square foot. These are ASKING figures from live listings, not closed-transaction prices, and a figure resting on fewer than 10 listings says so where it is quoted.
- Vacancy rates
- Published per-sector market series, taken at the metro level where one exists and otherwise at the Census-region level — a chart reading "in <region> region" is a regional number, not this city's.
- Zoning and land use
- The current municipal zoning release: 27,373 zoned acres across 14 districts. Shares are of zoned land, so parcels the release leaves unclassified are excluded from the mix.
- Refresh
- The monthly aggregates close at the end of the previous month, so 31 October 2026 — not today — is the honest last update.
- Known limitations
- office vacancy is reported at South region level, retail vacancy is reported at South region level and industrial vacancy is reported at South region level.
- Coverage
- Metrics below the 10-observation threshold fall back one geographic level. The geography used is named on each figure.
Compiled by the Realmo Data team · reviewed 31 October 2026 · How Realmo checks market page data · Report a data issue
