Gastonia, NC

Census Place

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2023 Population

81,632

1.26% 1-year growth

US Senator

Thom Tillis

Republican Party

US Senator

Ted Budd

Republican Party

2023 Median Age

37.2

1.59% 1-year decrease

2023 Poverty Rate

14.3%

3.13% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$60,554

4.32% 1-year growth

2023 Median Property Value

$250,000

13.8% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

38,715

1.85% 1-year growth

About

In 2023, Gastonia, NC had a population of 81.6k people with a median age of 37.2 and a median household income of $60,554. Between 2022 and 2023 the population of Gastonia, NC grew from 80,615 to 81,632, a 1.26% increase and its median household income grew from $58,047 to $60,554, a 4.32% increase.

The 5 largest ethnic groups in Gastonia, NC are White (Non-Hispanic) (51.7%), Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) (30.6%), Two+ (Non-Hispanic) (4.41%), Other (Hispanic) (4.09%), and White (Hispanic) (3.55%).

None of the households in Gastonia, 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.

96.2% of the residents in Gastonia, NC are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Gastonia, NC are Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia (137 degrees awarded in 2022).

In 2023, the median property value in Gastonia, NC was $250,000, and the homeownership rate was 54.2%.

Most people in Gastonia, NC drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Gastonia, NC was 2 cars per household.

United States North Carolina Gaston County, NC Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Gaston County (Northwest)--Mount Holly City PUMA, NC Gaston County (Southeast)--Gastonia & Belmont Cities PUMA, NC

Population & Diversity

Gastonia, NC is home to a population of 81.6k people, from which 96.2% are citizens. As of 2023, 7.33% of Gastonia, NC residents were born outside of the country (5.98k people).

In 2023, there were 1.69 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (42.2k people) in Gastonia, NC than any other race or ethnicity. There were 25k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.6k Two+ (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

96.2%

2023 Citizenship

96.6%

2022 Citizenship

As of 2023, 96.2% of Gastonia, NC residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.4%. In 2022, the percentage of US citizens in Gastonia, NC was 96.6%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Gastonia, NC

White (Non-Hispanic)
42.2k ± 1.29k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
25k ± 1.16k
Two+ (Non-Hispanic)
3.6k ± 712

11.4%

Hispanic Population

9.34k people

11.4% of the people in Gastonia, NC are hispanic (9.34k people).

The following chart shows the 7 races represented in Gastonia, 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
214,508 ± 11,254 people
India
79,868 ± 6,912 people
Honduras
39,759 ± 4,886 people

In 2022, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of North Carolina was Mexico, the natal country of 214,508 North Carolina residents, followed by India with 79,868 and Honduras with 39,759.

Foreign-Born Population

7.33%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

5.98k people

6.59%

2022 Foreign-Born Population

5.31k people

As of 2023, 7.33% of Gastonia, NC residents (5.98k people) were born outside of the United States, which is lower than the national average of 13.8%. In 2022, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Gastonia, NC was 6.59%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Gastonia, NC compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,360 ± 230
Gulf War (2001-)
1,186 ± 292
Gulf War (1990s)
1,029 ± 274

Gastonia, NC has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.15 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Gastonia, NC employs 38.7k people. The largest industries in Gastonia, NC are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,730 people), Manufacturing (5,277 people), and Retail Trade (4,603 people), and the highest paying industries are Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($111,250), Finance & Insurance ($82,924), and Utilities ($79,732).

Males in North Carolina have an average income that is 1.31 times higher than the average income of females, which is $57,464. The income inequality in North Carolina (measured using the Gini index) is 0.47, which is lower than than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

38.7k

2023 Value

± 1,641

1.85%

1 Year growth

± 5.78%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Gastonia, NC grew at a rate of 1.85%, from 38k employees to 38.7k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Gastonia, NC, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (4,475 people), Sales & Related Occupations (3,717 people), and Management Occupations (3,664 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Gastonia, NC.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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

38.7k

2023 Value

± 1,641

1.85%

1 Year growth

± 5.78%

From 2022 to 2023, employment in Gastonia, NC grew at a rate of 1.85%, from 38k employees to 38.7k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Gastonia, NC, are Health Care & Social Assistance (5,730 people), Manufacturing (5,277 people), and Retail Trade (4,603 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Gastonia, NC, though some of these residents may live in Gastonia, NC and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$46,624

Median earning men ± $2,069

$37,134

Median earning women ± $2,944

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($83,578), Information ($71,013), and Wholesale Trade ($63,657).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Public Administration ($63,512), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($61,413), and Wholesale Trade ($50,842).

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.

Education

In 2022, universities in Gastonia, NC awarded 137 degrees. The student population of Gastonia, NC in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 11 male students and 261 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Gastonia, NC are White (66 and 48.2%), followed by Black or African American (50 and 36.5%), Hispanic or Latino (13 and 9.49%), and Two or More Races (4 and 2.92%).

The largest universities in Gastonia, NC by number of degrees awarded are Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia (137 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Gastonia, NC are General Cosmetology (136 and 99.3%) and Cosmetology, Barber, & Nail Instructor (1 and 0.73%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2022 there were 272 students enrolled in Gastonia, NC, 4.04% men and 96% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 128 records, of which 95.3% were women and 4.69% men.

Completions

Concentrations

General Cosmetology

Most Common

136 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate recipients in Gastonia, NC was General Cosmetology with 136 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a 1 to 2 Year Postsecondary Certificate from schools in Gastonia, NC according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

137 degrees awarded

In 2022, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Paul Mitchell the School-Gastonia with 137 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2022, 4 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Gastonia, NC, which is 0.0301 times less than the 133 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2022 the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 66 degrees mean that there were 1.32 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 50 degrees awarded.

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.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

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

Measure

In 2022, 0.944% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while 0.805% of women were in the same situation.

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

Educational Attainment

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

Race

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in 2022 were High School or Equivalent (2.16M), Some college (1.84M), and Bachelors Degree (1.63M).

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.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Gastonia, NC was $250,000 in 2023, which is 0.824 times smaller than the national average of $303,400. Between 2022 and 2023 the median property value increased from $219,700 to $250,000, a 13.8% increase. The homeownership rate in Gastonia, NC is 54.2%, which is approximately the same as the national average of 65%.

People in Gastonia, NC have an average commute time of 25.7 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Gastonia, NC is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Median household income in Gastonia, NC is $60,554. In 2023, the place with the highest median household income in Gastonia, NC was Census Tract 333.03 with a value of $115,529, followed by Census Tract 326 and Census Tract 332.02, with respective values of $95,688 and $89,271.

Housing

Property

$250,000

Median Property Value 2023

±$8,220

$17,175

Median Property Taxes

±$940

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 Gastonia, NC the largest share of households pay taxes in the $2k - $3k range.

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

Rent vs Own

54.2%

Homeownership

2023

64.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2023

In 2023, 54.2% of the housing units in Gastonia, NC were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 55.8%.

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

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

Race/Ethnicity

Highest Median Household Income (Total)

Census Tract 333.03
Census Tract 326
Census Tract 332.02

In 2023, the place with the highest Median Household Income (Total) in Gastonia, NC was Census Tract 333.03 with a value of $115,529, followed by Census Tract 326 and Census Tract 332.02, with respective values of $95,688 and $89,271.

The following map shows all of the places in Gastonia, NC colored by their Median Household Income (Total).

Household Income

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

$60,554

Median Household Income

± $3,144

31.7k

Number of Households

± 1,427

In 2023, the median household income of the 31.7k households in Gastonia, NC grew to $60,554 from the previous year's value of $58,047.

The following chart displays the households in Gastonia, 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.

Wage Distribution

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

0.47

2022 Wage GINI in North Carolina

0.47

2021 Wage GINI in North Carolina

In 2022, the income inequality in North Carolina was 0.47 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.0732% decline from 2021 to 2022, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for North Carolina was lower than than the national average of 0.478. 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 2023

Drove Alone (77.7%)
Worked At Home (9.76%)
Carpooled (9.62%)

In 2023, 77.7% of workers in Gastonia, NC drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (9.76%) and those who carpooled to work (9.62%).

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

25.7 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Gastonia, NC have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 1.68% of the workforce in Gastonia, NC have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

14.3% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Gastonia, NC (11.4k out of 79.6k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 45 - 54, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Gastonia, 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.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

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

Health

88.1% of the population of Gastonia, NC has health coverage, with 43.2% on employee plans, 21.7% on Medicaid, 10.8% on Medicare, 11.2% on non-group plans, and 1.16% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Gaston County, NC see 1784 patients per year on average, which represents a 2.47% increase from the previous year (1741 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1862 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 365 patients per year.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the country level. Showing data for Gaston County, NC.

1,784 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Gaston County, NC

Primary care physicians in Gaston County, NC see an average of 1,784 patients per year. This represents a 2.47% increase from the previous year (1,741 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2023, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 26.5% under 18 years, 21.2% between 18 and 34 years, 37.7% between 35 and 64 years, and 14.5% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 46.9% were men and 53.1% were women.

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

Uninsured People

11.9%

Uninsured

43.2%

Employer Coverage

21.7%

Medicaid

10.8%

Medicare

11.2%

Non-Group

1.16%

Military or VA

Between 2022 and 2023, the percent of uninsured citizens in Gastonia, NC grew by 16.7% from 10.2% to 11.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Gastonia, NC changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Keep Exploring

North Carolina

State

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC