Its northeastern boundary is the shore of the Catawba River in Lake Norman.

North Carolina Highway 10 passes through the center of the town, leading north 2.5 miles (4.0 km) to Exit 138 on Interstate 40 and southwest 10 miles (16 km) to Newton.

U.S. Route 70 crosses NC 10 north of the center of Catawba and leads east 12 miles (19 km) to Statesville and west 16 miles (26 km) to Hickory.

There were 285 housing units at an average density of 124.7 per square mile (48.1/km2).

18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.