The Town Files

Gaston County, North Carolina

234,881 people. The median home is worth $266,000 (typical North Carolina town: $228,900) and the median household earns $67,478.

Towns in Gaston County

Towns in Gaston County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Gastonia80,411$277,600$64,05936.5
Mount Holly17,703$337,800$79,38539.0
Belmont15,010$395,000$94,88339.4
Cherryville6,078$232,100$70,62538.0
Dallas5,927$254,000$58,40340.9
Bessemer City5,428$206,100$60,30034.3
Cramerton5,296$343,400$82,16034.0
Ranlo4,511$200,200$78,03335.0
Stanley3,963$270,200$75,46136.9
Lowell3,654$200,600$52,50041.3

People and housing

Gaston CountyTypical North Carolina town
Median home value$266,000$228,900
Median rent$1,153$969
Median household income$67,478$60,458
Median age39.141.1
Bachelor's degree or higher26.5%24.5%
Below the poverty line13.5%14.3%

Jobs and pay

79,486 jobs in 2024, average pay $54,211 a year.

Largest industries in Gaston CountyManufacturing14,299 jobs · $64,660Health care & social assistan…13,480 jobs · $61,745Retail10,316 jobs · $35,992Hotels & restaurants8,104 jobs · $22,450Construction5,136 jobs · $69,223Administrative & support4,080 jobs · $44,876
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Gaston County0%4%8%12%16%2000200420082012201620202023 3.4%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 553 storm events in Gaston County from 1996 to 2026, with 7 deaths.

Storm events in Gaston County by type since 1996Hail125Flood16Drought35Tornado15High Wind14Lightning19Heavy Snow14Flash Flood15Strong Wind8Winter Storm12
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Gaston County has been included in 20 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3637: Severe Winter Storm
September 28, 2024Tropical StormDR-4827: Tropical Storm Helene
September 26, 2024Tropical StormEM-3617: Hurricane Helene
October 1, 2022HurricaneEM-3586: Hurricane Ian
August 2, 2020HurricaneEM-3534: Hurricane Isaias
May 8, 2020Severe StormDR-4543: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).