Population
Grand Rapids
197,768
Gastonia
81,632
Median Income
Grand Rapids
$65,526
Gastonia
$60,554
Home Value
Grand Rapids
$225,500
Gastonia
$250,000
Rent
Grand Rapids
$1,191
Gastonia
$1,145
Crime Rate
Grand Rapids
9.10
Gastonia
8.49
Cost of Living
Grand Rapids
109.3
Gastonia
107.3
Avg Temp
Grand Rapids
N/A
Gastonia
N/A
Unemployment
Grand Rapids
5.0%
Gastonia
5.2%
How Similar Are Grand Rapids & Gastonia?
Gastonia is Grand Rapids's #12 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Grand Rapids
197,768
Gastonia
81,632
Grand Rapids (197,768) is about 2.4x larger than Gastonia (81,632).
Violent Crime
Grand Rapids
9.10
Gastonia
8.49
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 7% difference.
Property Crime
Grand Rapids
24.81
Gastonia
35.14
Gastonia has a 29% higher property crime than Grand Rapids.
Political Leaning
Grand Rapids
46.5%
Gastonia
62.1%
Grand Rapids leans Democratic while Gastonia leans Republican.
Unemployment
Grand Rapids
5.0%
Gastonia
5.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Grand Rapids
$65,526
Gastonia
$60,554
Both cities have similar median income — just a 8% difference.
Home Values
Grand Rapids
$225,500
Gastonia
$250,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 10% difference.
Education
Grand Rapids
26.2%
Gastonia
18.4%
Grand Rapids has a 30% higher education than Gastonia.
Demographics
Grand Rapids
61.0%
Gastonia
55.2%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 9% difference.
Cost of Living
Grand Rapids
109.3
Gastonia
107.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 2% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Grand Rapids and Gastonia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Grand Rapids
0
Gastonia
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gastonia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGrand Rapids has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,278 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (17% lower). Grand Rapids has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,531 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (9% lower). Gastonia scores 96.3 on the food index (100 = national avg) vs 100.1 in Grand Rapids.
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 ACSGrand Rapids has a vacancy rate of 6.1% compared to 8.7% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a single-family homes of 70.9% compared to 61.8% in Grand Rapids. Gastonia has a median home value of $250,000 vs $225,500 in Grand Rapids (10% higher).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Grand Rapids leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrand Rapids: 109,811 vs Gastonia: 40,874 for labor force. Gastonia has a poverty rate of 14.3% compared to 18.6% in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has a work from home of 12.3% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia.
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 5.3% in Grand Rapids. Grand Rapids has a burglary rate (per 1k) of 2.67 compared to 5.12 in Gastonia. Gastonia has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.06 in Grand Rapids.
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 — Grand Rapids leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauGrand Rapids has a bachelor's degree or higher of 26.2% compared to 18.4% in Gastonia. Grand Rapids has a high school diploma or higher of 40.4% 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 ACSGrand Rapids has a population of 197,768, about 2.4x the size of Gastonia (81,632). Grand Rapids skews younger with a median age of 32.1 vs 37.2.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Grand Rapids
Gastonia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 5 vs Grand Rapids: 3 for with emergency services. Grand Rapids: 4.3 vs Gastonia: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Grand Rapids leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGrand Rapids has a public transit of 3.1% compared to 1.0% in Gastonia. Grand Rapids has a work from home of 12.3% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a drive alone of 77.7% compared to 69.3% in Grand Rapids.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Grand Rapids, MI
Compare Grand Rapids 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.