Population

Gastonia

81,632

Monroe

35,596

Median Income

Gastonia

$60,554

Monroe

$67,265

Home Value

Gastonia

$250,000

Monroe

$270,600

Rent

Gastonia

$1,145

Monroe

$1,216

Crime Rate

Gastonia

8.49

Monroe

6.63

Cost of Living

Gastonia

107.3

Monroe

112.8

Avg Temp

Gastonia

N/A

Monroe

N/A

Unemployment

Gastonia

5.2%

Monroe

5.5%

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How Similar Are Gastonia & Monroe?

Monroe is Gastonia's #13 most similar city

6/10

6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%

Population

👥

Gastonia

81,632

vs

Monroe

35,596

Different · 56% difference

Gastonia (81,632) is about 2.3x larger than Monroe (35,596).

Violent Crime

Gastonia

8.49

vs

Monroe

6.63

Different · 22% difference
🚨

Gastonia has a 22% higher violent crime than Monroe.

Property Crime

🔒

Gastonia

35.14

vs

Monroe

33.34

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar property crime — just a 5% difference.

Political Leaning

Gastonia

62.1%

vs

Monroe

62.1%

Match · 0% difference
🗳️

Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 0% difference.

Unemployment

💼

Gastonia

5.2%

vs

Monroe

5.5%

Match · 5% difference

Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 5% difference.

Median Income

Gastonia

$60,554

vs

Monroe

$67,265

Match · 10% difference
💰

Both cities have similar median income — just a 10% difference.

Home Values

🏠

Gastonia

$250,000

vs

Monroe

$270,600

Match · 8% difference

Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.

Education

Gastonia

18.4%

vs

Monroe

13.5%

Different · 27% difference
🎓

Gastonia has a 27% higher education than Monroe.

Demographics

🌍

Gastonia

55.2%

vs

Monroe

48.2%

Different · 13% difference

Gastonia has a 13% higher demographics than Monroe.

Cost of Living

Gastonia

107.3

vs

Monroe

112.8

Match · 5% difference
💵

Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 5% difference.

6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gastonia and Monroe share several key characteristics.

At a Glance

0

Gastonia

vsof 8

0

Monroe

Gastonia leads in 5 of 8 categories

Cost of Living & Affordability — Gastonia leads

Source: City Stats Index / HUD

Gastonia scores 96.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 101.4 in Monroe. Gastonia scores 107.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 112.8 in Monroe. Gastonia has a living wage (family of 4) of $111,643 vs $117,264 in Monroe (5% lower).

Overall Cost Index

Gastonia107.3
Monroe112.8

Housing Index

Gastonia125.9
Monroe131.1

Food Index

Gastonia96.3
Monroe101.4

Transportation Index

Gastonia99.7
Monroe102.8

Healthcare Index

Gastonia97.0
Monroe101.1

Utilities Index

Gastonia102.9
Monroe107.1

Living Wage (1 Adult)

Gastonia$47,234
Monroe$49,612

Living Wage (Family of 4)

Gastonia$111,643
Monroe$117,264

Fair Market Rent (1BR)

Gastonia$1,538
Monroe$1,538

Fair Market Rent (2BR)

Gastonia$1,686
Monroe$1,686

Housing Market — Monroe leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Monroe has a median property tax of $1,856 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (27% lower). Monroe has a vacancy rate of 7.0% compared to 8.7% in Gastonia. Monroe has a median home value of $270,600 vs $250,000 in Gastonia (8% higher).

Median Home Value

Gastonia$250,000
Monroe$270,600

Median Rent

Gastonia$1,145
Monroe$1,216

Median Property Tax

Gastonia$2,355
Monroe$1,856

Owner-Occupied

Gastonia54.2%
Monroe58.5%

Vacancy Rate

Gastonia8.7%
Monroe7.0%

Single-Family Homes

Gastonia70.9%
Monroe75.8%

Jobs & Economy — Gastonia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gastonia: 40,874 vs Monroe: 17,752 for labor force. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 5.5% in Monroe. Gastonia has a per capita income of $33,611 vs $29,277 in Monroe (15% higher).

Median Household Income

Gastonia$60,554
Monroe$67,265

Per Capita Income

Gastonia$33,611
Monroe$29,277

Poverty Rate

Gastonia14.3%
Monroe13.9%

Unemployment Rate

Gastonia5.2%
Monroe5.5%

Labor Force

Gastonia40,874
Monroe17,752

Mean Commute

Gastonia23 min
MonroeN/A

Work from Home

Gastonia9.8%
Monroe5.5%

Private Sector

Gastonia90.2%
MonroeN/A

Government Sector

Gastonia42.6%
Monroe47.2%

Crime & Safety — Monroe leads

Source: FBI UCR

Gastonia has a violent crime clearance of 45.6% compared to 28.3% in Monroe. Gastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 15.8% in Monroe. Monroe has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 0.82 compared to 1.23 in Gastonia.

Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia8.49
Monroe6.63

Property Crime Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia35.14
Monroe33.34

Murder Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia0.05
Monroe0.08

Robbery Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia1.23
Monroe0.82

Assault Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia6.84
Monroe4.91

Burglary Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia5.12
Monroe4.29

Larceny Rate (per 1K)

Gastonia25.87
Monroe26.50

Violent Crime Clearance

Gastonia45.6%
Monroe28.3%

Property Crime Clearance

Gastonia23.8%
Monroe15.8%

Weather & Climate

Source: NOAA / Open-Meteo

Avg Annual Temperature

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Avg Annual High

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Avg Annual Low

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Sunny Days per Year

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Annual Rainfall

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Annual Snowfall

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Avg Humidity

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Schools & Education — Gastonia leads

Source: NCES / U.S. Census Bureau

Gastonia has a bachelor's degree or higher of 18.4% compared to 13.5% in Monroe. Gastonia has a high school diploma or higher of 37.2% compared to 31.5% in Monroe.

Public Schools

Gastonia0
Monroe0

Avg Student-Teacher Ratio

GastoniaN/A
MonroeN/A

Colleges & Universities

Gastonia0
Monroe0

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

Gastonia18.4%
Monroe13.5%

High School Diploma or Higher

Gastonia37.2%
Monroe31.5%

Demographics & Community

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gastonia has a population of 81,632, about 2.3x the size of Monroe (35,596).

Population

Gastonia81,632
Monroe35,596

Median Age

Gastonia37
Monroe37

Avg Household Size

Gastonia2.5
Monroe2.9

Married Population

Gastonia35.9%
Monroe39.6%

Foreign Born

Gastonia7.3%
Monroe17.8%

White

Gastonia55.2%
Monroe48.2%

Black

Gastonia30.9%
Monroe21.6%

Hispanic

Gastonia11.4%
Monroe31.0%

Asian

Gastonia1.2%
Monroe0.7%

Gastonia

Monroe

Healthcare — Gastonia leads

Source: CMS Hospital Compare

Gastonia: 3.2 vs Monroe: 3.0 for avg cms rating (out of 5).

Nearby Hospitals

Gastonia5
Monroe5

Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)

Gastonia3.2
Monroe3.0

With Emergency Services

Gastonia5
Monroe5

Transportation & Commute — Gastonia leads

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS

Gastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.0% in Monroe. Monroe has a bicycle of 0.1% compared to 0.0% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a work from home of 9.8% compared to 5.5% in Monroe.

Mean Commute Time

Gastonia23 min
MonroeN/A

Drive Alone

Gastonia77.7%
Monroe74.9%

Public Transit

Gastonia1.0%
Monroe0.0%

Bicycle

Gastonia0.0%
Monroe0.1%

Work from Home

Gastonia9.8%
Monroe5.5%

Airports

Gastonia0
Monroe0

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.

PopulationIncomeHome ValueSafetyEducationMedian AgeClimateCost of Living

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