Population
Gastonia
81,632
Rapid City
76,836
Median Income
Gastonia
$60,554
Rapid City
$65,712
Home Value
Gastonia
$250,000
Rapid City
$270,000
Rent
Gastonia
$1,145
Rapid City
$1,053
Crime Rate
Gastonia
8.49
Rapid City
7.24
Cost of Living
Gastonia
107.3
Rapid City
107.6
Avg Temp
Gastonia
N/A
Rapid City
N/A
Unemployment
Gastonia
5.2%
Rapid City
3.2%
How Similar Are Gastonia & Rapid City?
Rapid City is Gastonia's #9 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Gastonia
81,632
Rapid City
76,836
Both cities have similar populations — Gastonia at 81,632 and Rapid City at 76,836.
Violent Crime
Gastonia
8.49
Rapid City
7.24
Gastonia has a 15% higher violent crime than Rapid City.
Property Crime
Gastonia
35.14
Rapid City
37.92
Both cities have similar property crime — just a 7% difference.
Political Leaning
Gastonia
62.1%
Rapid City
61.9%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 0% difference.
Unemployment
Gastonia
5.2%
Rapid City
3.2%
Gastonia has a 38% higher unemployment than Rapid City.
Median Income
Gastonia
$60,554
Rapid City
$65,712
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Gastonia
$250,000
Rapid City
$270,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 7% difference.
Education
Gastonia
18.4%
Rapid City
25.1%
Rapid City has a 27% higher education than Gastonia.
Demographics
Gastonia
55.2%
Rapid City
78.3%
Rapid City has a 29% higher demographics than Gastonia.
Cost of Living
Gastonia
107.3
Rapid City
107.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Gastonia and Rapid City share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Gastonia
0
Rapid City
Rapid City leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gastonia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDRapid City has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,018 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (51% lower). Rapid City has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,336 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (26% lower). Rapid City scores 82.6 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 99.7 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 — Rapid City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a median property tax of $2,355 vs $3,058 in Rapid City (23% lower). Rapid City has a owner-occupied of 61.6% compared to 54.2% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a single-family homes of 70.9% compared to 64.5% in Rapid City.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Rapid City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSRapid City has a unemployment rate of 3.2% compared to 5.2% in Gastonia. Rapid City: 16 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute. Rapid City has a per capita income of $40,447 vs $33,611 in Gastonia (17% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Gastonia leads
Source: FBI UCRGastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 15.9% in Rapid City. Rapid City has a assault rate (per 1k) of 4.73 compared to 6.84 in Gastonia. Gastonia has a violent crime clearance of 45.6% compared to 36.3% in Rapid City.
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 — Rapid City leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauRapid City has a bachelor's degree or higher of 25.1% compared to 18.4% in Gastonia. Rapid City has a high school diploma or higher of 42.7% compared to 37.2% in Gastonia.
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 ACSGastonia has a population of 81,632, about 1.1x the size of Rapid City (76,836). Gastonia skews younger with a median age of 37.2 vs 39.0.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Gastonia
Rapid City
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 5 vs Rapid City: 2 for with emergency services. Rapid City: 4.0 vs Gastonia: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Rapid City leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.3% in Rapid City. Rapid City has a bicycle of 1.1% compared to 0.0% in Gastonia. Rapid City: 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.