The history of Hickory Grove City goes back to the mid-nineteenth century, when John and Tobitha Wilkerson settled the area. Their son Thomas Jefferson Wilkerson was a cabinet maker who married Lucinda Howells. Wilkerson was a prominent farmer in Hickory Grove and western York County, and is considered one of the most respected surnames in the area. The family was among the first to settle Broad River in the mid-late eighteenth century, and continues to hold considerable property in the region.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Hickory Grove is home to five hundred and nine residents from various races. While twenty-two percent of residents in the neighborhood identify as Black, zero percent of people identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 0.8% identify as Asian or Pacific Islander. However, 80.0% of the city's population identifies as American Indians or Alaska Natives.
While this is a mid-sized city complex near the South Carolina border, the city's agricultural and regional banking roots are still evident in its history. However, the city has also become a modern financial and urban center, with BankAmerica, Wachovia, and Lowe's as well as other well-known brands. While the financial industry has dominated the city's growth, the downtown area has preserved a blend of traditional 19th-century neighborhoods and modern skyscrapers.
The median age in the city was 34.3 years old. Of the 405 households, thirty-seven percent of residents were under the age of eighteen. Another twelve percent of households were headed by a female without a husband, and twenty-three percent of households had no family members at all. Another ten percent of the population was elderly, with 10.9% of those being over 65 years of age living alone.