States · North Carolina · Catawba County

St. Stephens, North Carolina.

A community in Catawba County, with no city government of its own. Zillow publishes no home prices for it: see Catawba County’s.

Living in St. Stephens, Catawba County, North Carolina

St. Stephens, in Catawba County, had 8,852 people in the 2020 census. Half its households earn more than $60,394 a year and half less, against $67,864 across Catawba County; 16% of its people live below the poverty line. 84% of its homes are lived in by their owners and 16% are rented. Unemployment in Catawba County was 3.5% in August 2026, and the county had about as many jobs in 2025 as the year before. The most residents work in manufacturing, then schools and health care.

People 8,852 in the 2020 census; median age 43.2
Household income $60,394 the median, give or take $7,053 · Catawba County: $67,864
Unemployment 3.5% Catawba County, August 2026; 4.0% a year before
Homes 84% lived in by their owners; 16% rented
  • 3,969households
  • 26%of adults have a degree
  • 16%below the poverty line
  • 22 mintypical commute
  • 6%work from home

What residents work in

  • Manufacturing34%
  • Schools, hospitals and social care20%
  • Shops (retail)12%
  • Building trades7%
  • Restaurants, hotels and entertainment6%
  • Other services5%

Employed residents by industry, from the Census survey. Catawba County had 89,369 jobs in 2025, about as many as the year before (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

Weather through the year

Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 49° and 30°; warmest in July, 87° and 68° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 49° 30° F M A M J J 87° 68° A S O N D
Average daily high and low for each month: coldest in January, 49° and 30°; warmest in July, 87° and 68° 30° 40° 50° 60° 70° 80° 90° J 49° 30° F M A M J J 87° 68° A S O N D

Coldest in January, with highs near 49° and lows near 30°; warmest in July, with highs near 87° and lows near 68°. About 47 inches of rain and melted snow a year.

Average daily high and low, 1991–2020, at the Hickory Faa Airport weather station, 6 miles away (NOAA).

Largest workplaces in Catawba County

  1. Catawba County SchoolsSchool district1,882FTE
  2. Catawba Valley Medical CenterGeneral hospital1,533FTE
  3. TargetDiscount department stores1,332
  4. Frye Regional Medical CenterGeneral hospital1,029FTE
  5. Corning Optical CommunicationsFiber optic cable made from purchased fiber optic strand1,016
  6. Advancepierre FoodsFrozen specialty food manufacturing891
  7. Catawba Valley Community CollegeTwo-year college880
  8. GKN AutomotiveDifferential and rear axle assemblies, automotive, truck, and bus, manufacturing857

Staff on average in 2025, as each workplace reported it to OSHA with its injury records: 241 workplaces with 20 or more staff, 37,222 people in all across the county; St. Stephens has one of its own. School districts come from the Common Core of Data (NCES, 2023–24), hospitals from their Medicare cost reports (CMS, 2023) and colleges from IPEDS (NCES, 2023–24); FTE marks full-time equivalent staff. Not listed: many offices and banks, which need not report to OSHA; military bases, whose staff OPM withholds; and, in about half the states, city and county governments.

Natural hazards

  1. Ice stormsRelatively high
  2. LightningRelatively high
  3. Strong windRelatively moderate
  4. TornadoesRelatively moderate
  5. Winter weatherRelatively moderate
  6. Cold wavesRelatively moderate

FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the risk each natural hazard poses to the people, buildings and farms in St. Stephens’ census tracts, against the rest of the country; all of them together, relatively low. It is meant for planning, not a substitute for a local risk assessment or a flood map: FEMA’s index.

From the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2020 census and its American Community Survey (2020–2024 five-year estimates), and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A survey, so each figure has a margin of error, and figures it is not sure of are left out. More on Catawba County.