Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dallas gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $271K for a typical one, or 3.2 years of the Charlotte metro’s $83K median household income. It grades C overall, 144th among North Carolina's 286 graded towns. Dallas's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Dallas is home to Gaston College. 13% of residents are 65 or older in Dallas, where North Carolina’s towns sit at 18% and U.S. towns at 18%.
Where Dallas beats most towns.
4,488 counted in 2010 and 5,927 in 2020; an estimated 6,392 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 7.8% since 2020, after 32.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Dallas is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 299 in 1870, 5,927 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2001 and 4 maps from 1914 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dallas, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Dallas.
Dallas is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has little public open land.
Most working residents leave Dallas for work: only 3% work in town. Dallas’ median household income is $58,000. The top destinations are Charlotte (28%), Gastonia (21%) and Belmont (2%).
| Dallas | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.9% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 13% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Gaston County Schools. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carr ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 665 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Dallas has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Dallas is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 143 to 96 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 71% of towns.
| Dallas | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 18.2 per 1,000 residents | 24.2 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
The typical Dallas home is worth about $271,000, about the same as a year ago, 19% below the North Carolina typical home.
| Dallas | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $872 a month | $1,086 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 64% | 67% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 8,490 U.S. towns with household incomes like Dallas’s, it is healthier than 65%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Dallas beats the North Carolina average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 39% of Dallas adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Dallas | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 25% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 15% | 14% |
| What stands out | Dallas | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.8% | 7.9% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 16% | 12.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Just 35 of its 1,962 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Dallas itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gingles Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dallas.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Dallas. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
20 mi Theme parkCarowinds
18 mi LakeLake Norman16 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
23 mi Stadium & arenaBojangles Coliseum
32 mi LandmarkPeachoidBank of America Stadium: HangingCurve, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carowinds: Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Norman: Prince Grobhelm, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bojangles Coliseum: James Willamor, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Peachoid: Carol M. Highsmith, Public domain
2 within 15 miles of the center of Dallas
About 5 of every 100 Dallas residents are enrolled in college, about the same as North Carolina.
4 places in Dallas on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in North Carolina, United States
Dallas is a town in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, and a suburb of Charlotte, located north of Gastonia. As of the 2020 census, Dallas had a population of 5,927. It was named for George M. Dallas, Vice President of the United States under James K. Polk.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Dallas.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dallas grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #144 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health, C+ for safety and B− for schools.
Within North Carolina, it does better than 71% of towns.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
