Population
Melbourne
85,718
Gastonia
81,632
Median Income
Melbourne
$64,504
Gastonia
$60,554
Home Value
Melbourne
$272,900
Gastonia
$250,000
Rent
Melbourne
$1,411
Gastonia
$1,145
Crime Rate
Melbourne
9.03
Gastonia
8.49
Cost of Living
Melbourne
115.7
Gastonia
107.3
Avg Temp
Melbourne
N/A
Gastonia
N/A
Unemployment
Melbourne
4.4%
Gastonia
5.2%
How Similar Are Melbourne & Gastonia?
Gastonia is Melbourne's #4 most similar city
6 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Melbourne
85,718
Gastonia
81,632
Both cities have similar populations — Melbourne at 85,718 and Gastonia at 81,632.
Violent Crime
Melbourne
9.03
Gastonia
8.49
Both cities have similar violent crime — just a 6% difference.
Property Crime
Melbourne
30.20
Gastonia
35.14
Gastonia has a 14% higher property crime than Melbourne.
Political Leaning
Melbourne
59.9%
Gastonia
62.1%
Both cities lean Republican with similar vote shares — 3% difference.
Unemployment
Melbourne
4.4%
Gastonia
5.2%
Gastonia has a 14% higher unemployment than Melbourne.
Median Income
Melbourne
$64,504
Gastonia
$60,554
Both cities have similar median income — just a 6% difference.
Home Values
Melbourne
$272,900
Gastonia
$250,000
Both cities have similar home values — just a 8% difference.
Education
Melbourne
24.1%
Gastonia
18.4%
Melbourne has a 24% higher education than Gastonia.
Demographics
Melbourne
75.2%
Gastonia
55.2%
Melbourne has a 27% higher demographics than Gastonia.
Cost of Living
Melbourne
115.7
Gastonia
107.3
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 7% difference.
6 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Melbourne and Gastonia share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Melbourne
0
Gastonia
Melbourne leads in 3 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Gastonia leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDGastonia scores 125.9 on the housing index (100 = national avg) vs 144.0 in Melbourne. Gastonia scores 107.3 on the overall cost index (100 = national avg) vs 115.7 in Melbourne. Gastonia has a living wage (family of 4) of $111,643 vs $120,290 in Melbourne (8% lower).
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
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSGastonia has a vacancy rate of 8.7% compared to 11.7% in Melbourne. Gastonia has a median rent of $1,145 vs $1,411 in Melbourne (23% lower). Melbourne has a median property tax of $1,913 vs $2,355 in Gastonia (19% lower).
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Melbourne leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelbourne has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia. Melbourne has a unemployment rate of 4.4% compared to 5.2% in Gastonia. Melbourne has a per capita income of $36,715 vs $33,611 in Gastonia (9% 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 murder rate (per 1k) of 0.05 compared to 0.10 in Melbourne. Gastonia has a property crime clearance of 23.8% compared to 19.8% in Melbourne. Melbourne has a robbery rate (per 1k) of 1.03 compared to 1.23 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 — Melbourne leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauMelbourne has a bachelor's degree or higher of 24.1% compared to 18.4% in Gastonia. Melbourne has a high school diploma or higher of 42.9% 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 ACSMelbourne has a population of 85,718, about 1.1x the size of Gastonia (81,632). Gastonia skews younger with a median age of 37.2 vs 42.3.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Melbourne
Gastonia
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareGastonia: 5 vs Melbourne: 4 for with emergency services. Melbourne: 3.5 vs Gastonia: 3.2 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Melbourne leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSMelbourne has a work from home of 13.1% compared to 9.8% in Gastonia. Melbourne has a public transit of 1.3% compared to 1.0% in Gastonia. Gastonia has a drive alone of 77.7% compared to 73.6% in Melbourne.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Melbourne, FL
Compare Melbourne 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.