Population
Lakeland
117,030
Gastonia
81,632
Median Income
Lakeland
$60,947
Gastonia
$60,554
Home Value
Lakeland
$229,100
Gastonia
$250,000
Rent
Lakeland
$1,299
Gastonia
$1,145
Crime Rate
Lakeland
3.55
Gastonia
8.49
Cost of Living
Lakeland
107.5
Gastonia
107.3
Avg Temp
Lakeland
N/A
Gastonia
N/A
Unemployment
Lakeland
5.1%
Gastonia
5.2%
How Similar Are Lakeland & Gastonia?
Gastonia is Lakeland's #18 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Lakeland
117,030
Gastonia
81,632
Lakeland has a 30% larger population than Gastonia.
Violent Crime
Lakeland
3.55
Gastonia
8.49
Gastonia's violent crime is significantly higher than Lakeland's — 58% difference.
Property Crime
Lakeland
24.70
Gastonia
35.14
Gastonia has a 30% higher property crime than Lakeland.
Political Leaning
Lakeland
59.9%
Gastonia
62.1%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.
Unemployment
Lakeland
5.1%
Gastonia
5.2%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 2% difference.
Median Income
Lakeland
$60,947
Gastonia
$60,554
Both cities have similar median income — just a 1% difference.
Home Values
Lakeland
$229,100
Gastonia
$250,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Lakeland
19.1%
Gastonia
18.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 4% difference.
Demographics
Lakeland
62.7%
Gastonia
55.2%
Lakeland has a 12% higher demographics than Gastonia.
Cost of Living
Lakeland
107.5
Gastonia
107.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Lakeland and Gastonia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Lakeland
0
Gastonia
Lakeland leads in 5 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Lakeland leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDLakeland has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,230 vs $1,538 in Gastonia (20% lower). Lakeland has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,497 vs $1,686 in Gastonia (11% lower). Lakeland scores 93.5 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 — Gastonia leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a vacancy rate of 8.7% compared to 14.1% in Lakeland. Lakeland has a median property tax of $1,669 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (29% lower). Gastonia has a single-family homes of 70.9% compared to 54.5% in Lakeland.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Lakeland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSLakeland: 54,353 vs Gastonia: 40,874 for labor force. Lakeland has a work from home of 11.6% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia. Lakeland: 21 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute.
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Lakeland leads
Source: FBI UCRGastonia has a murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.11 in Lakeland. Lakeland has a assault rate (per 1k) of 2.23 compared to 6.84 in Gastonia. Lakeland has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 3.55 compared to 8.49 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 — Lakeland leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauLakeland has a high school diploma or higher of 41.1% compared to 37.2% in Gastonia. Lakeland has a bachelor's degree or higher of 19.1% compared to 18.4% 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 ACSLakeland has a population of 117,030, about 1.4x the size of Gastonia (81,632). Gastonia skews younger with a median age of 37.2 vs 39.9.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Lakeland
Gastonia
Healthcare — Gastonia leads
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 3.2 vs Lakeland: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Lakeland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a public transit of 1.0% compared to 0.5% in Lakeland. Lakeland has a work from home of 11.6% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia. Lakeland: 21 min vs Gastonia: 23 min for mean commute time.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Lakeland, FL
Compare Lakeland 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.