Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC

Public Use Microdata Area (PUMA)

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2024 Population
123,120
US Senator
Thom Tillis
Republican Party
US Senator
Ted Budd
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
38.3
0.262% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
14.4%
9.63% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$67,610
3.65% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$286,900
10.1% 1-year growth
2023 Employed Population
56,642
0.212% 1-year growth

About

11% of the households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

96% of the residents in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are Belmont Abbey College (299 degrees awarded in 2023) and Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia (30 degrees).

In 2024, the median property value in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was $286,900, and the homeownership rate was 59.8%.

Most people in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 26.2 minutes. The average car ownership in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was 2 cars per household.

United StatesNorth CarolinaSouth Carolina

Population & Diversity

Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC is home to a population of 123k people, from which 96% are citizens. As of 2024, 7.5% of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC residents were born outside of the country (9.24k people).

In 2024, there were 2.76 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (74.2k people) in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 26.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.88k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

The most common non-English languages spoken as the primary language in households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are Spanish (9,055 households), Vietnamese (387 households), and Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese) (322 households).

Population & Diversity

Residents by Gender and Age

RACE/ETHNICITY
64,374
Women
52.6%
58,117
Men
47.4%

The resident population of United States in 2023 was 122,491 inhabitants, with 47.4% men, and 52.6% women.

The visualization shows the distribution of the residents by gender and age in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC.

With the upper buttons you can add a filter by race.

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Citizenship

96%
2024 Citizenship
96.9%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 96% of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was 96.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    74.2k ± 1.55k
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    26.9k ± 1.3k
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    4.88k ± 752
10.6%
Hispanic Population
13k people

In 2024, there were 2.76 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (74.2k people) in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 26.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 4.88k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

10.6% of the people in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are hispanic (13k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC as a share of the total population.

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Global Diversity

Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    1,400 ± 913 people
  2. Colombia
    932 ± 747 people
  3. Honduras
    531 ± 565 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was Mexico, the natal country of 1,400 Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC residents, followed by Colombia with 932 and Honduras with 531.

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Foreign-Born Population

7.5%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
9.24k people
6.41%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
7.85k people

As of 2024, 7.5% of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC residents (9.24k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was 6.41%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Non-English Households

Most Common Non-English Languages
  1. Spanish
    9,055 households (7.86%)
  2. Vietnamese
    387 households (0.336%)
  3. Chinese (Incl. Mandarin, Cantonese)
    322 households (0.279%)

11% of the households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language, which is lower than the national average of 22.3%. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

In 2024, the most common non-English language spoken in households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was Spanish. 7.86% of the households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC reported speaking Spanish at home as the primary shared language between all members living in the household.

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Vietnam
    2,125 ± 326
  2. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,541 ± 283
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    1,281 ± 299

Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.38 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC.

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Economy

The economy of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC employs 56.6k people. In 2023, the largest industries in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC were Restaurants & Food Services (3,476 people), Construction (3,454 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (3,304 people), and the highest paying industries were Nondepository credit & related activities ($197,796), Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing ($150,504), and Hardware, & plumbing & heating equipment, & supplies merchant wholesalers ($134,443).

Males in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC have an average income that is 1.35 times higher than the average income of females, which is $56,715. The income inequality in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC (measured using the Gini index) is 0.449, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Workforce Diversity

Measure
RACE/ETHNICITY
28,240
Women
49.9%
28,402
Men
50.1%

The workforce of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC in 2023 was 56,642 people, with 49.9% woman, and 50.1% men.

The visualization shows the distribution of the workforce by gender and age in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC.

With the upper buttons you can see the distribution of the average salary and add a filter by race.

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Occupations

56.6k
2023 Value
0.212%
1 Year growth
± 0.212%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC grew at a rate of 0.212%, from 56.5k employees to 56.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, are Retail salespersons (1,582 people), Registered nurses (1,573 people), and Driver/sales workers & truck drivers (1,494 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC.

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Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in North Carolina (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

56.6k
2023 Value
0.212%
1 Year growth
± 0.212%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC grew at a rate of 0.212%, from 56.5k employees to 56.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, are Restaurants & Food Services (3,476 people), Construction (3,454 people), and Elementary & secondary schools (3,304 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, though some of these residents may live in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$51,220
Median earning men ± $1,688
$41,443
Median earning women ± $1,352

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($115,313), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($87,813), and Information ($72,712).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Public Administration ($65,162), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($60,508), and Wholesale Trade ($52,734).

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Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.
Y-Axis
3.04%
Year-over-year growth
Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 4.86M people employed in North Carolina. This represents a 3.04% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 10.9%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in North Carolina.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC awarded 329 degrees. The student population of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 872 male students and 1,032 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are White (200 and 62.7%), Unknown (59 and 18.5%), Black or African American (37 and 11.6%), and Hispanic or Latino (12 and 3.76%).

The largest universities in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC by number of degrees awarded are Belmont Abbey College (299 and 90.9%) and Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia (30 and 9.12%).

The most popular majors in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC are General Business Administration & Management (68 and 20.7%), Sport & Fitness Management (31 and 9.42%), and General Cosmetology (30 and 9.12%).

The median tuition cost in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC for private four year colleges is $19,500.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University
Measure

In 2023 in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, the percentage of applicants admitted was 90.4%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 14.9%. The number of students enrolled in 2023 was 1,904 (45.8% men and 54.2% women).

The line chart  shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

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Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2023 there were 1,904 students enrolled in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, 45.8% men and 54.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,172 records, of which 56.2% were women and 43.8% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Liberal Arts & Sciences
    25 degrees awarded
  2. General Business Administration & Management
    68 degrees awarded
  3. Sport & Fitness Management
    31 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 25 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC according to their major.

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Universities

Gender
Race
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
  1. Belmont Abbey College
    299 degrees awarded
  2. Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia
    30 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Belmont Abbey College with 299 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

University

In 2023, 146 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC, which is 0.798 times less than the 183 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 200 degrees mean that there were 3.39 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Unknown, with 59 degrees awarded.

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Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($19,500) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above ($1,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Measure

In 2023, 0.748% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.927% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

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Educational Attainment

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC in 2023 were High School or Equivalent (25.1k), Some college (22.3k), and Bachelors Degree (18.7k).

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was $286,900 in 2024, which is 0.862 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $260,500 to $286,900, a 10.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC is 59.8%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC have an average commute time of 26.2 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$286,900
Median Property Value 2024
±$6,727
$29,753
Median Property Taxes
±$1,168

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

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Rent vs Own

59.8%
Homeownership
2024
63.8%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 59.8% of the housing units in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 59.4%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$67,610
Median Household Income
± $2,787
49.7k
Number of Households
± 1,864

In 2024, the median household income of the 49.7k households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC grew to $67,610 from the previous year's value of $65,230.

The following chart displays the households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

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Wage Distribution

0.449
2023 Wage GINI in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC
0.45
2022 Wage GINI in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC

In 2023, the income inequality in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was 0.449 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.299% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (76.4%)
  2. Worked At Home (13.6%)
  3. Carpooled (7.83%)

In 2024, 76.4% of workers in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.6%) and those who carpooled to work (7.83%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

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Commute Time

26.2 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC have a shorter commute time (26.2 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.82% of the workforce in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

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Car Ownership

2 cars
Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC have 2 cars.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC (17.3k out of 121k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females < 5.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC is White, followed by Black and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

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Health

89.7% of the population of Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC has health coverage, with 45.8% on employee plans, 18% on Medicaid, 12.1% on Medicare, 12.7% on non-group plans, and 1.17% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see 1,413 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1634 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 299 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for North Carolina.
1,413 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in North Carolina

Primary care physicians in North Carolina see an average of 1,413 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,413 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in North Carolina in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.5% under 18 years, 21.3% between 18 and 34 years, 38.3% between 35 and 64 years, and 15.9% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47.5% were men and 52.5% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

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Uninsured People

10.3%
Uninsured
45.8%
Employer Coverage
18%
Medicaid
12.1%
Medicare
12.7%
Non-Group
1.17%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC grew by 2.9% from 9.97% to 10.3%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

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