Sell Your Commercial Property In Gastonia, NC

Who rents in Gastonia

The 2020–2024 American Community Survey counts 82,884 residents in Gastonia and 14,823 renter households out of 32,378 occupied homes, a 45.8% renter share. That is well above Gaston County's 33.2% and the state's 33.4%. Median household income in the city is $64,059, against $67,478 for the county and $72,388 statewide.

Gastonia grew as a textile mill city, and its renter base today mixes hospital workers, manufacturing and distribution employees along Interstate 85, and commuters to Charlotte. CaroMont Regional Medical Center, established in 1946, is a 476-bed hospital in the city with a Level III trauma center, a Level III NICU, a cancer center and a birthing center.

Rents and affordability

Gastonia's median gross rent is $1,204 a month, including utilities, $51 above Gaston County and $24 below the state median. The more important comparison is with Charlotte, where the median is $1,612: a $408 gap for tenants willing to commute.

Affordability is still a problem for many renters. The ACS shows 50.4% of Gastonia renter households paying 30% or more of income on rent and utilities and 26.4% paying half or more, compared with 46.9% at or above the 30% mark across Gaston County. In numbers, 3,920 households pay half or more of income and 3,555 pay between 30% and 49.9%. Those shares limit how far rents can rise at renewal, even with Charlotte rents well above Gastonia's.

Gastonia shares HUD's Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia FY2026 Fair Market Rents with Charlotte:

The FMRs are set for the whole Charlotte area, so they sit well above Gastonia's rents: the one-bedroom figure is $334 above the city's median gross rent and the two-bedroom $482 above it. Voucher payment standards based on these numbers can exceed what most Gastonia units earn on the open market, which makes voucher tenants a meaningful option for owners whose buildings pass program inspections.

The apartment stock

Per the ACS, 6,211 of Gastonia's 35,337 housing units, or 17.6%, are in buildings with five or more units, compared with 9.8% in Gaston County and 14.2% statewide. The apartment stock is dominated by small and mid-size buildings: 2,556 units are in 5–9 unit buildings, 2,184 in 10–19, 502 in 20–49 and 969 in buildings of 50 or more. Buildings of 5 to 19 units hold 76.3% of apartment units, against 57.9% statewide. Another 3,021 units, or 8.5% of all housing, are in two- to four-unit buildings. Detached houses make up 67.6% of all units, while mobile homes are only 2.5%, compared with 8.6% across Gaston County, so most of the county's manufactured housing is outside the city.

The stock is old. The median structure was built in 1978, four years older than the county's 1982 median and 13 years older than the state's. With that age profile, buyers will spend time on roofs, plumbing, electrical systems and HVAC. Belmont, Mount Holly, Cramerton and Dallas are separate towns in Gaston County with their own tax rates.

Property taxes in Gaston County

Under G.S. 105-284, apartment buildings are assessed at full market value. The N.C. Department of Revenue lists Gaston County's FY2026-27 rate at 59.9 cents per $100, with a latest reappraisal of 2023 and a next scheduled reappraisal of 2027. G.S. 105-286 requires reappraisal at least every eight years.

The City of Gastonia's FY2027 budget, adopted June 2, 2026 at $378.75 million, keeps the city rate at 47 cents per $100. It also raises water and sewer charges by 7.5% and residential solid waste collection by $2 a month, with no change in electric rates. The combined county and city rate of $1.069 comes to about $21,380 a year on a building assessed at $2 million. The state deed excise tax under G.S. 105-228.30 is $4,000 on a $2 million sale.

Landlord rules

G.S. 42-14.1 prohibits local rent control and local voucher-acceptance mandates. G.S. 42-51 caps deposits at 1.5 months' rent for month-to-month tenancies and two months' rent for longer terms, G.S. 42-52 requires an itemized accounting within 30 days after a tenancy ends, and G.S. 42-3 allows lease forfeiture when rent is unpaid 10 days after demand. G.S. 160D-1207 bars blanket rental registration, allowing it only for properties with repeated verified violations or high crime and disorder activity, with fees capped at $500 a year.

What this means if you own a building here

Gastonia offers steady renter demand at rents well below Charlotte's, but old buildings and a 2027 reappraisal will shape what buyers pay. A rent roll showing which units carry voucher tenants, recent capital work by system and year, and the current county and city tax bill will answer most of a buyer's first questions. Skyline Capital Investments buys 5+ unit buildings in Gastonia, Belmont, Mount Holly, Cramerton and Dallas. Estimate value with our apartment building value calculator, or see how we make offers on the sell your apartment building page.