In Gaston County, North Carolina, rent on a two-bedroom takes about three in ten dollars of the typical household's income
In Gaston County, 30.5% of the typical household's income would go to rent on a two-bedroom. That is higher than in 97% of U.S. counties.
More distressed than 73% of U.S. counties.
What drives Gaston County's score
In Gaston County, housing costs weigh most: the score for housing costs is 91.7. Late payments on loans come next, at 79.8.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Gaston County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Gaston County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (94.4, 2025) and people with a disability (14.5%, 2020 to 2024).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 91.7 of 100
Housing costs
Biggest factorRenters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent24.8% · 2020 to 202486th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income30.5% · fiscal year 202797th percentile
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- 79.8 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind8.3% · August 202586th percentile
- People with a car or retail loan behind7.9% · August 202582nd percentile
- People with a subprime credit score46.1% · second quarter of 202670th percentile
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- 56.4 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector32.1% · August 202579th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people94.4 · 202533rd percentile
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- 46.8 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line12.4% · 202443rd percentile
- Children below the poverty line15.9% · 202443rd percentile
- People with a disability14.5% · 2020 to 202435th percentile
- People without health insurance10.7% · 2020 to 202470th percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$70,318 · 202440th percentile
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- 46.0 of 100
Jobs
Unemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year3.8% · Oct 2025 to Sep 202643rd percentile
- Adults 25 to 54 not working20.5% · 2020 to 202448th percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Gaston County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Gaston County, 16.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Gaston County
North Carolina
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Gaston County made its largest gain on the way to its 2009 high, from 19.1% in 2004 to 26.1% in 2009.
In Gaston County, benefit checks' share of income has grown to about four times its 1969 level, reaching 25.6% in 2024, but pay from work still brings in more than twice as much as benefit checks
In Gaston County, North Carolina, benefit checks' share of income grew to about four times its 1969 level by 2024, reaching 25.6%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Gaston County getting SNAP food aid rose most from 14.2% in 2011 to 17.6% in 2013, 1.7 points each year.
The share of households in Gaston County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2014 and has since fallen to 16.1%
Low on the chart: 11.1% in 2009. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Gaston County, North Carolina.
How Gaston County has changed
Gaston County's population had its largest rise in the last span, from 226,257 in 2019 to 242,010 in 2024.
Gaston County's population nearly doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 242,010, with no dip in any year shown
Smallest rise: 1999 to 2004, reaching 191,646. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Gaston County, North Carolina.
The number of jobs located in Gaston County had its largest rise in the last span, from 70,136 in 2020 to 81,516 in 2025.
The number of jobs located in Gaston County fell to its lowest on the chart in 2010, then climbed past the 1990 level
Low on the chart: 63,621 in 2010. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Gaston County, North Carolina.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 4.1% | 2025 4.0% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 10.3% | 2024 12.4% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $27,259 | 2024 $70,318 |
The table uses 4.0% for 2025; the score uses 3.8% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Gaston County's history
1845
First three cotton mills established. Wikipedia
1846
Founded 1846, partitioned from Lincoln County. Wikipedia
1929
Loray Mill strike. Wikipedia
1929
Loray Mill strike led by National Textile Workers Union organizers. Wikipedia
1974
A tornado in April 1974 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2012
A thunderstorm in March 2012 killed two people. NOAA Storm Events Database
2019
A flood in June 2019 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
2020
The county's largest recorded population was the 2020 Census count of 227,943, which is also its most recent census. Census Bureau
2024
A thunderstorm in May 2024 killed one person. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1974
20 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Gaston County, 1 of them for flooding. FEMA
Gaston County beside its neighbors
Of the four counties that border Gaston County, in North Carolina and South Carolina, one scores higher. For the share of income from benefit checks, Gaston County ranks 2nd of the five; Cleveland County is highest, at 33.4%.
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland County, NC | 80 | 16.3% | 33.4% |
| Gaston County, NC | 73 | 12.4% | 25.6% |
| Mecklenburg County, NC | 49 | 10.6% | 12.0% |
| York County, SC | 42 | 8.8% | 17.1% |
| Lincoln County, NC | 29 | 9.7% | 21.5% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Gaston County the poorest county in North Carolina?
No, Gaston County's poverty rate was 12.4% in 2024, 71st highest of 100 in North Carolina (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is Robeson County, at 23.7%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Gaston County ranks 32nd of 100 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Gaston County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of North Carolina
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Gaston County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Gaston County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.