Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gastonia earns a D, ranked 237th of 286 in North Carolina, mostly because of safety. It reports more crime per resident than 96% of U.S. towns, including 768 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. One bright spot: it has 25 miles of trail. Gastonia’s violent crime rate is 8.8 per 1,000 residents, against 3.1 in North Carolina’s towns and 1.6 across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Gaston County Courthouse and William J. Wilson House.
Where Gastonia beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 236 in 1880, 80,411 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1905 and 4 maps from 1914 on.
15 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within North Carolina), ordered by how far Gastonia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gastonia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaBank of America Stadium
17 mi Theme parkCarowinds
21 mi LakeLake Norman15 mi MuseumSullenberger Aviation Museum70K visitors a year
22 mi Stadium & arenaBojangles Coliseum
30 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gastonia, 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 Gastonia.
Gastonia is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Charlotte and other neighbors, but it reports violent crime at about twice the North Carolina rate.
Violent crime runs at 8.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the North Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Kings Mountain (D) to Ranlo (B).
Gastonia’s property crime rate is 28.7 per 1,000 residents. Gastonia reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 96% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Gaston County Schools. Three of its 22 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pleasant Ridge ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 887 | C+ |
| Piedmont Community Charter SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 1,963 | B+ |
| Highland Sch of TechnologyTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 538 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NC on state tests and graduation
Martha Rivers Park, at 65 acres with 1.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Martha Rivers Park | 1.8 mi | 65 |
| 2. Northeast Community Park | — | 46 |
| 3. T. Jeffers Park | — | 42 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Gastonia has mild winters and warm summers. The July high in Gastonia is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,742 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gastonia’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income.
Gastonia beats the North Carolina average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 39% of Gastonia adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Gastonia | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 34% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 15% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 10% | 8.1% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 19% |
| What stands out | Gastonia | NC |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 11.3% | 8.1% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 20.7% | 15.2% |
| More adults facing housing insecurity | 16.5% | 12.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Gastonia home is worth about $273,000, down 0.8% in a year, 18% below the North Carolina typical home. 54% of households own their home in Gastonia.
| Gastonia | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 67% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 54% | 49% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,204 a month | $1,084 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gastonia has about as many jobs (44,202) as working residents, but only 8,536 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Gastonia’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Gastonia has added 3,333 jobs, to 44,202 in 2023. The top destinations are Charlotte (30%), Raleigh (2%) and Belmont (2%).
| Gastonia | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 6.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 13% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $69,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Gastonia has grown 8.2% since 2020, to 87,067 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 27% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 36% across North Carolina.
| Gastonia | North Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36.5 years | 40.1 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 25% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 27% | 29% | 29% |
51.9% women, 48.1% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Across North Carolina, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.2, men 34.6.
| Gastonia | NC | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14.7% | 13.4% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.6% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.9% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.3% | 9.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.9% | 24.8% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.1% | 19.6% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 10.1% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.8% | 22.2% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.8% | 13.5% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 60% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 20 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gastonia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
2 within 15 miles of the center of Gastonia
About 4 of every 100 Gastonia residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across North Carolina.
71,741 counted in 2010 and 80,411 in 2020; an estimated 87,067 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 8.2% since 2020, after 12.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
15 places in Gastonia on the National Register of Historic Places.
38 notable people were born in Gastonia.
City in North Carolina, United States
Gastonia is a city in and the county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. The most populous city in the county and the 13th-most populous city in North Carolina, the population was 80,411 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Combined Statistical Area. The city is a historic center for textile manufacturing and was the site of the Loray Mill Strike of 1929, which became a key event in the labor movement. While manufacturing remains important to the local economy, the city also has healthcare, education, and government sectors.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Gastonia.
| Town | NC rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gastonia | #237 | D | C+ | D− | B− | C+ |
| Springdale | — | — | B+ | — | B− | B |
| Bessemer City | #193 | C− | B+ | C | B− | D |
| Lowell | #160 | C | B | C+ | B− | C− |
| Kings Mountain | #253 | D | C+ | D | B− | D |
| Dallas | #144 | C | B | C+ | B− | C+ |
| Cramerton | #96 | B− | C− | B− | B− | A− |
| Ranlo | #79 | B− | C+ | B | B− | B− |
Springdale has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Springdale reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Gastonia with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gastonia grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #237 of 286 in North Carolina. It grades C+ for health, D− for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($83,304 across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
38 notable people were born here, including Thomas Sowell and James Worthy.
