What is the Best Neighborhoods USA ranking for Lakeland?
Lakeland is ranked #3 of 9 eligible neighborhoods in Hickory; #151 of 535 eligible neighborhoods in NC; and #4,211 of 14,967 eligible neighborhoods in the United States.
Neighborhood Profile
Lakeland
Hickory, NC | Catawba County
Scored premium profile
Best Neighborhoods USA Index
59.4
Stability and Strength
61.9
Value Opportunity
63.8
Momentum
49.4
Score note: Rankings show denominators so users always see the size of the eligible cohort.
| Context | Value |
|---|---|
| Location | Hickory, NC |
| County | Catawba County |
| National rank | #4,211 of 14,967 |
| State rank | #151 of 535 |
| City rank | #3 of 9 |
| County rank | #3 of 9 |
| National percentile | 71.9 |
| National band | MIDDLE_50_PERCENT |
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Housing and local fundamentals
| Housing and market metrics | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Zillow home value | $391,333 |
| Year-over-year home value change | 0.9% |
| Month-over-month home value change | -0.06% |
| Home value to income ratio | 4.39 |
| Median household income | $89,046 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 46.2% |
| Civilian unemployment rate | 1.5% |
| Homeownership rate | 62.2% |
| Housing vacancy rate | 7.0% |
| Rent burden 30% or higher | 51.8% |
How to read this profile
- Ranks are always shown with denominators.
- Momentum reflects both year-over-year and month-over-month housing change.
- Stability and Strength and Value Opportunity are governed composite scores.
- Identity composition is descriptive intelligence and is not a scoring component.
Questions and Answers
Questions About Living in Lakeland
Is Lakeland one of the best neighborhoods in Hickory?
Lakeland has a Best Neighborhoods USA Index of 59.4 and a city ranking of #3 of 9 eligible neighborhoods in Hickory.
How much are homes worth in Lakeland?
The current Zillow Home Value Index for Lakeland is approximately $391,333.
Are home values rising or falling in Lakeland?
Zillow neighborhood values changed 0.9% year over year and -0.06% month over month.
What is the Neighborhood Momentum Score for Lakeland?
Lakeland has a Neighborhood Momentum Score of 49.4. Momentum is 70% year-over-year and 30% month-over-month Zillow housing change.
What is the median household income in Lakeland?
The NDS-derived neighborhood median household income is approximately $89,046.
How affordable is Lakeland relative to household income?
The current Zillow home-value-to-household-income ratio is 4.39. Price-to-income affordability is a major Value Opportunity input.
Is Lakeland primarily homeowners or renters?
The NDS-derived homeownership rate is approximately 62.2%.
What is the unemployment rate in Lakeland?
The NDS-derived civilian unemployment rate is approximately 1.5%.
How educated are residents of Lakeland?
Approximately 46.2% of residents age 25 and older are estimated to have a bachelor's degree or higher.
What share of renters in Lakeland face high rent burden?
Approximately 51.8% of the applicable renter-household universe is estimated to spend 30% or more of household income on gross rent.
How does Best Neighborhoods USA score Lakeland?
The overall index combines 40% Stability and Strength, 35% Value Opportunity, and 25% Momentum. Race, ethnicity, and identity composition are not scoring components.
Governed ranking context
How this neighborhood ranks
HMDA Mortgage Intelligence
Neighborhood Mortgage Market
Modeled neighborhood-level mortgage activity allocated from governed HMDA tract data using Zillow neighborhood geometry. These neighborhood values are nonadditive and do not enter the Best Neighborhoods USA Index.
Activity year2024
Estimated applications16
Estimated originations10
Home-purchase applications6
Origination rate63.6%
Home-purchase share39.6%
Average application loan$185,754
Total application loan amount$2,974,538
National application rank#11,297 of 14,874 rankable neighborhoods
Geometry coverage100.0%
Recent trend: Applications 11.0% YoY; originations 9.5% YoY
Mortgage methodology
HMDA is natively reported at tract and other lender-reporting geographies, not Zillow neighborhood or ZIP geography. This module uses the certified NDS HMDA-to-Zillow tract-vintage crosswalk and area-weighted allocation. Rankings require governed geometry coverage. Applicant demographics are excluded. Neighborhood values may overlap and must not be summed to reconstruct ZIP or national totals.