Gaston, NC

Census Place

2024 Population

912

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

9.14% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

27.4%

21.1% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$42,105

2.07% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$77,200

Population & Diversity

Gaston, NC is home to a population of 912 people, from which 100% are citizens.

In 2024, there were 1.6 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (533 people) in Gaston, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 333 White (Non-Hispanic) and 19 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

100%

2024 Citizenship

100%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 100% of Gaston, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Gaston, NC was 100%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been maintaining.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Gaston, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Gaston, NC

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
533 ± 224
White (Non-Hispanic)
333 ± 115
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
19 ± 27

1.43%

Hispanic Population

13 people

1.43% of the people in Gaston, NC are hispanic (13 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Gaston, NC as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for North Carolina.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
228,441 ± 11,609 people
India
90,815 ± 7,367 people
Honduras
52,061 ± 5,588 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 228,441 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 90,815 and Honduras with 52,061.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
23 ± 33
Gulf War (2001-)
3 ± 21

Gaston, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 7.67 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Gaston, NC.

Economy

The economy of Gaston, NC employs 339 people. In 2024, the largest industries in Gaston, NC were Health Care & Social Assistance (58 people), Retail Trade (50 people), and Manufacturing (49 people), and the highest paying industries were Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($250,001), Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting ($250,001), and Finance & Insurance ($173,587).

Employment

Occupations

339

2024 Value

± 126

−2.02%

1 Year decline

± 54.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Gaston, NC declined at a rate of −2.02%, from 346 employees to 339 employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Gaston, NC, are Construction & Extraction Occupations (45 people), Sales & Related Occupations (42 people), and Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (39 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Gaston, NC.

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.

Industries

Employment by Industries

339

2024 Value

± 126

−2.02%

1 Year decline

± 54.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Gaston, NC declined at a rate of −2.02%, from 346 employees to 339 employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Gaston, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (58 people), Retail Trade (50 people), and Manufacturing (49 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Gaston, NC, though some of these residents may live in Gaston, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$50,125

Median earning men ± $18,384

$36,205

Median earning women ± $10,424

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($250,001), Public Administration ($61,875), and Manufacturing ($52,109).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($173,587), Public Administration ($45,625), and Retail Trade ($36,250).

Housing & Living

The median property value in Gaston, NC was $77,200 in 2024, which is 0.232 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $76,300 to $77,200, a 1.18% increase. The homeownership rate in Gaston, NC is 58.9%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Gaston, NC have an average commute time of 18.6 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Gaston, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$77,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$15,071

$232

Median Property Taxes

±$74

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, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $800 - $1,499 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Gaston, NC compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

58.9%

Homeownership

2024

61.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 58.9% of the housing units in Gaston, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 41.8%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Gaston, NC compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$42,105

Median Household Income

± $10,637

394

Number of Households

± 107

In 2024, the median household income of the 394 households in Gaston, NC grew to $42,105 from the previous year's value of $41,250.

The following chart displays the households in Gaston, 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 < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Gaston, NC is from North Carolina.

0.466

2024 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.467

2023 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2024, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.466 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.16% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in North Carolina in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in North Carolina across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (62.2%)
Carpooled (17.8%)
Worked At Home (14%)

In 2024, 62.2% of workers in Gaston, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (17.8%) and those who worked at home (14%).

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.

Commute Time

18.6 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Gaston, NC have a shorter commute time (18.6 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 1.11% of the workforce in Gaston, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Gaston, NC compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Gaston, NC distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Gaston, NC have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

27.4% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Gaston, NC (242 out of 884 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 6 - 11, followed by Males 15 and then Males 12 - 14.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Gaston, NC is Black, followed by Two Or More and White.

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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Keep Exploring