NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC

Metro Market Score 38.4 (Moderate), ranked #120 of 330 metros. 378 establishments, 902 jobs.

Metro Market Score 38.4

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Moderate

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's real estate and rental and leasing sector saw employment decline over the past year (growth trend: 15.8). That contraction, combined with a 38.4 market score, puts this metro in the upper half for market conditions. Understand why the local market is shrinking before committing.

Industry Concentration

3.6

LQ: 0.38

Rank #12 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

38.2

$52,338 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 15.8

Employment growth index

Rank #279 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

13.5

YoY wage change index

378 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

378

Establishments

-1.6% YoY

902

Total Employment

-4.4% YoY

$52,338

Average Annual Wage

+0.9% YoY

0.38

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within North Carolina

#4 of 15

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

North Carolina state rank

#23 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

-3.5

better than median (41.9)

Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton vs North Carolina Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to North Carolina overall. The state ranks #23/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton	NC Statewide
Overall Score	38.4 Moderate	38.1 Moderate
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#120 of 330 metros	#23 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton

Construction 19.7 Accommodation and Food Services 30.8 Finance and Insurance 33.1 Other Services 33.5 Retail Trade 42.7 Administrative and Support Services 45.1 Information 45.4

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other North Carolina Metros

Goldsboro 29.8 #66/330 Burlington 31.2 #76/330 Rocky Mount 33.1 #86/330 Winston-Salem 39.9 #135/330 Pinehurst-Southern Pines 40.1 #137/330 Durham-Chapel Hill 40.8 #149/330 Wilmington 41.9 #161/330 Greenville 47.9 #201/330 Fayetteville 52.5 #235/330 Jacksonville 53.0 #239/330

+ 4 more metros. View all in North Carolina →

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's 38.4 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Traverse City, MI 38.5 #121/330 State College, PA 38.5 #122/330 Rockford, IL 38.5 #123/330 Mansfield, OH 38.5 #124/330 Cheyenne, WY 38.6 #125/330 Merced, CA 38.3 #119/330 Lawrence, KS 38.3 #118/330 Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 38.7 #126/330 South Bend-Mishawaka, IN 38.7 #127/330 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA 38.7 #128/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering North Carolina

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

Virginia 35.6 #17/51 Tennessee 37.2 #18/51 South Carolina 44.9 #36/51 Georgia 51.6 #43/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton's real estate and rental and leasing sector, the employment growth component (84.2) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment