Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
27% of residents live below the poverty line in Gaston, above both the North Carolina town median (13%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 1 of the 235 North Carolina towns we compare have a lower typical home value than Gaston. Gaston School is on the National Register of Historic Places. Gaston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Gaston beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 274 in 1850, a low of 11 in 1870, 1,008 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1968 and a map from 1953 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gaston, 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 Gaston.
The typical Gaston home is worth about $93,000, up 9% in a year, 72% below the North Carolina typical home. Gaston’s median rent is $818 a month, where North Carolina’s towns sit at $1,085 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. 59% of households own their home in Gaston.
| Gaston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 67% | 73% |
| Median rent | $818 a month | $1,085 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is KIPP Gaston College Preparatory, with 1,143 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaston STEM Leadership AcademyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 284 | D− |
| KIPP Gaston College PreparatoryLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,143 | D |
NCES · EDFacts
Most working residents leave Gaston for work: only 3% work in town. Gaston’s average trip to work is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Gaston has added 220 jobs, to 585 in 2023.
| Gaston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.5% | 6.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gaston has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Gaston is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 62% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
51% of Gaston adults have high blood pressure. Among 290 North Carolina towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Gaston. 43% of Gaston adults have obesity.
| Gaston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 19% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 13% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 38% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Gaston | NC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.7% | 14.7% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.4% | 76.7% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.1% | 13.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
| Gaston | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.5% | 3.4% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dwight Hall Recreation Park | 0.2 mi | 19 |
| 2. Grant/Copeland Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Gaston
About 4 of every 100 Gaston residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
1,152 counted in 2010 and 1,008 in 2020; an estimated 959 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Town in North Carolina, United States
Gaston is a town in Northampton County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Gaston had a population of 1,008. It is part of the Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gaston has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
