Gaston County Demographics

A map of Gaston County's Population by Race

Gaston County, North Carolina had a population of 227,943 in 2020. It was 67.4% White, 17.4% Black, 1.5% Asian, 8.8% Hispanic, 0.7% Native American/Other, and 4.1% Multiracial. This map presents the population of Gaston County, with one dot drawn for each person counted in the 2020 Census, color-coded by race.

Gaston County is the 9th most populous county of the 100 counties in North Carolina.

Gaston County's White Population

153,653 residents of Gaston County identify as White, or 67.4%. This makes the White share of the population of Gaston County slightly larger than the White share of the population of North Carolina (60.5% White). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #49 in terms of White residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more White than neighboring York County (66.7% White), and Mecklenburg County (44.7% White). Gaston County is less White than neighboring Lincoln County (82.5% White), Catawba County (72.3% White), and Cleveland County (70.5% White).

Gaston County's Black Population

39,762 residents of Gaston County identify as Black, or 17.4%. This makes the Black share of the population of Gaston County roughly similar to the Black share of the population of North Carolina (20.2% Black). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #49 in terms of Black residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more Black than neighboring Lincoln County (5.1% Black), and Catawba County (7.9% Black). Gaston County is less Black than neighboring York County (18.2% Black), Mecklenburg County (29.1% Black), and Cleveland County (20.1% Black).

Gaston County's Asian Population

3,509 residents of Gaston County identify as Asian, or 1.5%. This makes the Asian share of the population of Gaston County roughly similar to the Asian share of the population of North Carolina (3.3% Asian). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #20 in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more Asian than neighboring Lincoln County (0.8% Asian), and Cleveland County (0.9% Asian). Gaston County is less Asian than neighboring York County (3.1% Asian), Mecklenburg County (6.4% Asian), and Catawba County (4.3% Asian).

Gaston County's Hispanic Population

20,068 residents of Gaston County identify as Hispanic, or 8.8%. This makes the Hispanic share of the population of Gaston County roughly similar to the Hispanic share of the population of North Carolina (10.7% Hispanic). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #34 in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more Hispanic than neighboring Lincoln County (7.4% Hispanic), York County (6.7% Hispanic), and Cleveland County (4.1% Hispanic). Gaston County is less Hispanic than neighboring Mecklenburg County (15.2% Hispanic), and Catawba County (10.8% Hispanic).

Gaston County's Native American/Other Population

1,656 residents of Gaston County identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other, or 0.7%. This makes the Native American/Other share of the population of Gaston County roughly similar to the Native American/Other share of the population of North Carolina (1.5% Native American/Other). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #53 in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lincoln County (0.5% Native American/Other), Catawba County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Cleveland County (0.6% Native American/Other). Gaston County is less Native American/Other than neighboring York County (1.1% Native American/Other), and Mecklenburg County (0.9% Native American/Other).

Gaston County's Multiracial Population

9,295 residents of Gaston County identify as Multiracial, or 4.1%. This makes the Multiracial share of the population of Gaston County roughly similar to the Multiracial share of the population of North Carolina (3.9% Multiracial). Of the 100 counties in North Carolina, Gaston County is ranked #20 in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population.

Gaston County is more Multiracial than neighboring Lincoln County (3.7% Multiracial), Mecklenburg County (3.6% Multiracial), and Cleveland County (3.9% Multiracial). Gaston County is less Multiracial than neighboring York County (4.2% Multiracial).

Source: 2020 Census State Redistricting Data and Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.