Gaston County, North Carolina
County seat: Gastonia · Population 246,558 (2025) · 356 sq mi
Gaston County is the 11th most populous of North Carolina's 100 counties, with 246,558 people (2025 estimate). Its county seat is Gastonia. It is part of the Southwest Region region, one of the 8 Prosperity Zones of North Carolina. The map shows its 13 cities and towns and the 4 neighboring counties.
Gaston County facts
- County seat
- Gastonia
- Population (2025 estimate)
- 246,558 +8.2% since 2020
- Land area
- 356 sq mi 73rd largest of 100
- Water area
- 8 sq mi
- Population density
- 693 per sq mi
- Established
- 1846
- Named after
- William Gaston American politician from North Carolina (1778–1844)
- Largest city
- Gastonia 87,067
- Median household income
- $67,478
- Cities and towns
- 13 plus 2 CDPs
- ZIP codes
- 18
- Time zone
- Eastern
- FIPS code
- 37071
Cities and towns in Gaston County
Gaston County has 13 incorporated cities, towns and villages. Populations count the people living inside Gaston County; cities that cross a county line also list the other counties.
| Name | Type | Population 2025 | Also in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gastonia (county seat) | City | 87,067 | |
| Mount Holly | City | 19,033 | |
| Belmont | City | 16,415 | |
| Cherryville | City | 6,523 | |
| Dallas | Town | 6,392 | |
| Bessemer City | City | 5,834 | |
| Cramerton | Town | 5,713 | |
| Ranlo | Town | 4,848 | |
| Stanley | Town | 4,237 | |
| Lowell | City | 3,939 | |
| Kings Mountain | City | 1,196 | Cleveland County |
| McAdenville | Town | 960 | |
| High Shoals | City | 637 |
Unincorporated communities (CDPs)
Census-designated places are communities without their own city government; the county provides their services.
| Community | Population | Also in |
|---|---|---|
| Springdale | 1,075 | |
| Alexis | 635 |
ZIP codes in Gaston County
18 ZIP codes reach into Gaston County. ZIP codes ignore county lines, so some also cover a neighboring county.
- 28006 also Lincoln County
- 28012
- 28016
- 28021 also Lincoln and Cleveland counties
- 28032
- 28033 also Lincoln County
- 28034
- 28052
- 28054
- 28056
- 28077
- 28080 also Lincoln County
- 28086 also Cleveland County
- 28092 also Lincoln and Catawba counties
- 28098
- 28101
- 28120
- 28164 also Lincoln County
Population of Gaston County, 2020–2025
Gaston County grew by 18,614 people (+8.2%) between April 2020 and July 2025: 484 more deaths than births and a net gain of 18,978 people from migration.
| Year (July 1) | Population |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 228,640 |
| 2021 | 231,421 |
| 2022 | 234,245 |
| 2023 | 238,578 |
| 2024 | 243,020 |
| 2025 | 246,558 |
Neighboring counties
- Lincoln County north · 98,654 people
- Mecklenburg County east · 1,233,383 people
- Cleveland County west · 103,325 people
- York County, South Carolina south · 306,887 people
Printable Gaston County map
The PDF is a vector file with real text: it prints sharp on Letter paper and you can search it for a town. The PNG is 2400 pixels wide for slides and documents. Both are free to use with a credit to WhichCounty.
- PDF (Letter) (115 KB)
- PNG (2400 px) (78 KB)
Paste this code to embed the map on your site:
Sources
- Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files (1:500,000).
- Population: Census Bureau county and city estimates, Vintage 2025. CDP populations: American Community Survey 2020–2024.
- Places and ZIP codes: Census Bureau 2026 Gazetteer and 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Area relationship files.
- County seat, founding year and name origin: Wikidata (CC0), checked against state sources.
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