• county
  • FIPS 37071
  • Largest town: Gastonia

Gaston County, North Carolina

Gaston County had 242,010 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 355.8 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 73rd by land area.

Population
242,010
#12 of 100 in North Carolina · #299 in US
Area
355.8 sq mi
#73 of 100 in North Carolina · #2,671 in US
Density
680 / sq mi
#7 of 100 in North Carolina · #216 in US
Median household income
$67,076
#24 of 100 in North Carolina · #1,201 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Gaston County within North Carolina. Pin: Raleigh.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Gaston County

Gaston County population, land area and income

Gaston County had 242,010 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 355.8 square miles of land. It ranks 12th of 100 in North Carolina by population and 73rd by land area. That works out to 680.3 people per square mile, 7.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top tenth nationally.

The median county-equivalent in North Carolina has 52,768 residents, so Gaston County is 4.6 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $67,076 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

242,010

3144th1st

299th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

356 sq mi

3144th1st

2671st of 3,144 (US)

Density

680.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

216th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$67,076

3143rd1st

1201st of 3,143 (US)

Rank within North Carolina (100)

Population

242,010

100th1st

12th of 100 (NC)

Land area

356 sq mi

100th1st

73rd of 100 (NC)

Density

680.3 / sq mi

100th1st

7th of 100 (NC)

Median household income

$67,076

100th1st

24th of 100 (NC)

How Gaston County's population changed since 2020

Gaston County gained 13,385 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 5.9%. That ranks 26th of 100 in North Carolina for growth. The median North Carolina county changed by +2.7%, and the state as a whole by +5.7%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Gaston County recorded 11,493 births and 12,426 deaths, a natural change of -933. Net international migration added +2,513 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +12,352. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 12,352 people.

228.6k2020231.4k2021234.2k2022238.2k2023242.0k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
11,493
Deaths
12,426
Net international migration
+2,513
Net domestic migration
+12,352
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+3,857

Where Gaston County is

The Census internal point of Gaston County is at 35.292800, -81.177400. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades North Carolina's 100 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Gaston County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Scotland County: +1.4%Rockingham County: +2.5%Franklin County: +15.6%Caswell County: -0.5%Stokes County: +2.9%Granville County: +2.3%Edgecombe County: +0.7%Randolph County: +2.8%Alexander County: +0.8%Person County: +2.4%Cherokee County: +5.2%Ashe County: +2.5%Davidson County: +5.2%Cabarrus County: +7.8%Mecklenburg County: +8.1%Burke County: +1.5%Cumberland County: +0.4%Northampton County: -4.9%Buncombe County: +3.5%Wilson County: +0.8%Bladen County: +0.5%Pitt County: +4.1%Yancey County: +2.7%Stanly County: +7.4%Harnett County: +9.3%Wilkes County: +0.5%Tyrrell County: +8.8%Pamlico County: +1.9%Hoke County: +6.0%Transylvania County: +2.5%Carteret County: +3.8%Durham County: +6.5%Anson County: +1.8%Pender County: +15.6%Alamance County: +6.7%Polk County: +4.9%Lenoir County: +0.5%Washington County: -3.0%Avery County: -0.0%Hyde County: +1.5%Gates County: -1.4%Davie County: +5.8%Jackson County: +7.4%Montgomery County: +2.5%Martin County: -2.0%Pasquotank County: +2.9%Perquimans County: +3.4%Cleveland County: +2.3%Sampson County: +2.3%Catawba County: +3.8%Alleghany County: +4.5%Robeson County: +2.3%Macon County: +4.4%Clay County: +8.0%Haywood County: +1.3%Duplin County: +3.8%Henderson County: +3.6%Craven County: +2.6%Warren County: +2.6%Graham County: +1.7%Union County: +9.9%Wayne County: +2.2%Gaston County: +5.9%Guilford County: +3.7%Yadkin County: +2.0%Watauga County: +1.0%Rowan County: +4.4%Swain County: -1.1%Chatham County: +9.4%Bertie County: -4.4%Halifax County: -2.9%Forsyth County: +4.1%Onslow County: +3.8%Dare County: +3.1%Chowan County: +1.3%Brunswick County: +20.9%Johnston County: +14.9%Orange County: +6.4%Currituck County: +13.6%New Hanover County: +7.5%Richmond County: -1.7%Vance County: -0.5%Iredell County: +9.9%Lincoln County: +12.0%Caldwell County: +0.2%McDowell County: +1.6%Rutherford County: +1.9%Mitchell County: +0.9%Moore County: +8.1%Columbus County: -0.8%Lee County: +8.1%Greene County: +1.1%Madison County: +5.0%Camden County: +7.5%Hertford County: -12.0%Beaufort County: -0.3%Jones County: +3.5%Wake County: +9.0%Nash County: +3.0%Surry County: +0.2%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +0.5%
  2. < +2.3%
  3. < +3.7%
  4. < +7.4%
  5. ≥ +7.4%
no data

Orange pin: Gaston County internal point. Dark pin: Raleigh.

Internal point

Decimal
35.292800, -81.177400
DMS
35°17'34.08"N 81°10'38.64"W
UTM
17N 483869.8E 3905528.7N
Geohash
dnq2bbb7m
Plus code
867W7RVF+42

Towns in Gaston County

11 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Gaston County, 158,242 people together, or 65% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Gaston County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Gastonia with 85,535.

  1. 01Gastonia85,535
  2. 02Mount Holly18,723
  3. 03Belmont16,044
  4. 04Cherryville6,385
  5. 05Dallas6,270
  6. 06Bessemer City5,730
  7. 07Cramerton5,604
  8. 08Ranlo4,756
  9. 09Stanley4,147
  10. 10Lowell3,863
  11. 11Kings Mountain (part)1,185
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Gaston County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 4 neighbors for Gaston County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Mecklenburg County, NC, with 1,206,285 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Raleigh and the nearest big city

Raleigh is 146.6 miles ENE of Gaston County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Charlotte, NC (population 943,476), 20.4 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Gastonia, NC (population 85,535), 3.1 miles away.

Gaston County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Gaston County is 37071: state code 37 for North Carolina plus county code 071. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $67,076.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Gaston County, North Carolina?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 242,010. That is up 13,385 people (5.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 228,625.

What is the FIPS code of Gaston County?

37071. The first two digits (37) are North Carolina; the last three (071) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Gaston County?

Gastonia, with 85,535 residents inside Gaston County in 2024.

Which counties border Gaston County?

4 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Mecklenburg County, NC; York County, SC; Cleveland County, NC; Lincoln County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.