USAFacts estimates Gaston County’s 2025 population at about 246,600, ranking it North Carolina’s 11th-most populous county. WCNC also reported on population gains in Gastonia and the county.
For context, Gaston County’s population was estimated at 242,010 in July 2024, compared with just under 228,000 in the 2020 Census, according to the City of Gastonia’s report.
The city report estimated Gastonia’s July 1, 2024, population at 85,535, more than 5,000 above its population at the start of the decade. It reported that from 2023 to 2024, the county grew 1.62% and Gastonia grew 1.54%.
The 2024 city estimate was also covered by WCNC.
How to read the estimates
The U.S. Census Bureau says each annual-estimates release revises the full time series back to the last census. As a result, estimates for earlier years may be updated in later releases.
The available figures do not show whether Gaston County’s recent growth came more from people moving in or from births outnumbering deaths. The North Carolina Office of State Budget & Management describes county population change generally as a balance of natural increase or decrease and net migration, but that framework does not identify Gaston County’s specific drivers.
