Gaston School · Photo: Frank Womble · CC BY-SA 4.0How is Gaston run?
Gaston’s town government spent $730,000 on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, about $714 per resident. These are Census Bureau estimates: Gaston didn’t report its figures, so this page shows them without comparisons.
What stands out about how Gaston is run
Read from the town’s budget and official records.
Northampton County Schools
Gaston’s K–12 school district, shared with Conway, Garysburg, Jackson, Lasker, Rich Square and more. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.
Of the $20,230 per pupil, $10,155 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.
North Carolina districts overall: 26% local, 57% state, 17% federal.
School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.
About $714 per resident a year, or $1.96 a day
Day-to-day services only (a Census Bureau estimate). The biggest line: police, at 42%.
Thank you for being a neighbor
Gaston didn’t report all of its 2022 figures to the Census Bureau, so most of these numbers are the Bureau’s estimates.
No comparison or trend for Gaston yet
Every year of Gaston’s figures is a Census Bureau estimate: the town reported none of its dollars for 2022. Estimates are shown above, labeled, but never ranked against places that reported or drawn as a trend.
How Town Hall compares budgets →The typical homeowner pays $1,292 a year
Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 1.67% of the home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina.
Typical yearly bill next door and statewide
The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Gaston’s rate.
Can I afford it? →The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate. In a town this small the estimate has a wide margin.
Tax bills are one input to Gaston’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Gaston →
Who’s in charge in Gaston
Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.
One full-time town employee for every 256 residents
On the payroll in March 2022, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll. Residents: the Census population in the 2022 finance file (1,022).
By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2022
The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.
Gaston’s votes are counted by county
North Carolina reports official results by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Gaston alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Northampton County’s results.
Kamala D HarrisDemocrat56.9%5,239 votes
Donald J TrumpRepublican42.4%3,905 votesOthers: 0.8% (71 votes).
Most votes in Northampton County: Kamala D Harris
North Carolina: Trump 50.9%, Harris 47.6%
100% of Gaston lies in Northampton County. Every 2024 race in Northampton County is on the county’s page.
Northampton County’s 2024 results →Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.
Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.
From town hall to Washington
Every level of government that speaks for Gaston.
- 1Your townTown governmentLocal officials aren’t on record yet.
- 2North Carolina HouseState representatives
- 3North Carolina SenateState senator
- 4GovernorStatewide
- 5U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
- 6U.S. SenateBoth represent all of North Carolina
Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.
Reach Gaston’s government
Neighbors add phone numbers and hours to the Handbook.
Questions about Gaston’s government
How much does Gaston spend per resident?
About $714 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to June 30, 2022, a Census Bureau estimate (Gaston didn’t report its figures). With building projects and interest, the whole budget was about $747,000.
What is the property tax rate in Gaston?
Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,292 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 1.67% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.66% across North Carolina. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see the town’s assessor.
Who runs Gaston’s government?
We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Gaston yet.
How did Gaston vote in 2024?
North Carolina counts votes by county and precinct, not by town, so there are no official results for Gaston alone. Northampton County, where 100% of Gaston lies, voted Harris 56.9%, Trump 42.4% for president; its page has every race.
How many people work for Gaston?
4 full-time and 7 part-time employees in March 2022, with a March payroll of $22,134 (about $265,608 a year if every month were the same), as reported to the Census Bureau.
Who represents Gaston in the state legislature?
State Senate District 1 (Jerry Tillett) and State House District 27 (Rodney Pierce). The House district also covers 18 other towns. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.
Ask neighbors about Gaston’s government
Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.
Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (for Gaston, the Bureau’s estimates); day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →