Population
Gastonia
81,632
Fort Smith
89,496
Median Income
Gastonia
$60,554
Fort Smith
$52,692
Home Value
Gastonia
$250,000
Fort Smith
$168,100
Rent
Gastonia
$1,145
Fort Smith
$852
Crime Rate
Gastonia
8.49
Fort Smith
8.44
Cost of Living
Gastonia
107.3
Fort Smith
85.9
Avg Temp
Gastonia
N/A
Fort Smith
N/A
Unemployment
Gastonia
5.2%
Fort Smith
6.7%
How Similar Are Gastonia & Fort Smith?
Fort Smith is Gastonia's #8 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gastonia
81,632
Fort Smith
89,496
Both cities have similar populations — Gastonia at 81,632 and Fort Smith at 89,496.
Violent Crime
Gastonia
8.49
Fort Smith
8.44
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 1% difference.
Property Crime
Gastonia
35.14
Fort Smith
36.84
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.
Political Leaning
Gastonia
62.1%
Fort Smith
67.6%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 8% difference.
Unemployment
Gastonia
5.2%
Fort Smith
6.7%
Fort Smith has a 22% higher unemployment than Gastonia.
Median Income
Gastonia
$60,554
Fort Smith
$52,692
Gastonia has a 13% higher median income than Fort Smith.
Home Values
Gastonia
$250,000
Fort Smith
$168,100
Gastonia has a 33% higher home values than Fort Smith.
Education
Gastonia
18.4%
Fort Smith
16.9%
Both cities have similar education — just a 8% difference.
Demographics
Gastonia
55.2%
Fort Smith
61.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 10% difference.
Cost of Living
Gastonia
107.3
Fort Smith
85.9
Gastonia has a 20% higher cost of living than Fort Smith.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gastonia and Fort Smith share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Gastonia
0
Fort Smith
Cost of Living & Affordability — Fort Smith leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDFort Smith has a fair market rent (1br) of $714 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (115% lower). Fort Smith has a fair market rent (2br) of $937 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (80% lower). Fort Smith scores 87.3 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 125.9 in Gastonia.
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Gastonia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith has a median property tax of $1,118 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (111% lower). Gastonia has a median home value of $250,000 vs $168,100 in Fort Smith (49% higher). Fort Smith has a median rent of $852 vs $1,145 in Gastonia (34% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Fort Smith leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith: 16 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 7.4% in Fort Smith. Gastonia has a unemployment rate of 5.2% compared to 6.7% in Fort Smith.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Fort Smith leads
Source: FBI UCRGastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 11.7% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.66 compared to 1.23 in Gastonia. Fort Smith has a violent crime clearance of 73.3% compared to 45.6% in Gastonia.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Gastonia leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGastonia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 16.9% in Fort Smith. Gastonia has a high school diploma or higher of 37.2% compared to 36.1% in Fort Smith.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSFort Smith has a population of 89,496, about 1.1x the size of Gastonia (81,632).
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gastonia
Fort Smith
Healthcare — Gastonia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 3.2 vs Fort Smith: 2.5 for avg cms rating (out of 5). Gastonia: 5 vs Fort Smith: 4 for with emergency services.
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.2% in Fort Smith. Fort Smith has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Gastonia. Fort Smith: 16 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Gastonia, NC
Compare Gastonia against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.