Gastonia, NC
Gaston County · North Carolina · United States
Home to 36,896 people across 41.407 square miles.
At a glance
28052 by the numbers
Every figure below comes from the 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, the Census Gazetteer, or is computed from those. Margins of error are shown where they matter.
Location
Where 28052 is
| Coordinates | 35.227964, -81.231691 |
|---|---|
| Time zone | America/New_York |
| County | Gaston County |
| State | North Carolina (NC) |
| Land area | 41.407 mi² |
| Coordinate source | Census ZCTA internal point |
Local time
America/New_York
Current weather
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Distance to major cities
Straight-line, computed from coordinates
| Atlanta, GA | 206.7 mi |
|---|---|
| Philadelphia, PA | 465.5 mi |
| New York, NY | 546.0 mi |
| Chicago, IL | 574.6 mi |
People
Who lives in 28052
36,896 residents in 13,734 households, averaging 2.69 people per household. The largest age group is under 18 at 27.4% of residents.
Age distribution
Share of residents by age band
Households
Composition and size
| Total households | 13,734 |
|---|---|
| Average household size | 2.69 |
| Family households | 62.2% |
| Living alone | 29.7% |
| Median age | 34.6 years |
| Households with internet | 81.6% |
Race & ethnicity
Census race categories. Hispanic or Latino origin is asked separately and overlaps these groups.
Income & work
What people earn in 28052
The median household here earns $46,015 a year, below the US median of $70,109, which puts 28052 ahead of 11% of American ZIP codes. 22.3% of residents live below the poverty line.
Compared to the US
This ZIP against the national median
| Median household income | $46,015 ±$2,350 |
|---|---|
| Per capita income | $24,339 |
| Poverty rate | 22.3% |
| Unemployment rate | 8.2% |
| Labor force participation | 59.9% |
Household income distribution
Share of households in each bracket
Educational attainment among residents 25 and older: 16.3% hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 82.5% finished high school.
Housing
Homes and rent in 28052
A typical home is valued at $173,500, and median rent runs $1,058 a month. Ownership is close to even at 52.8% owned, and the typical building went up in 1968.
Costs
Typical values
| Median home value | $173,500 |
|---|---|
| Median gross rent | $1,058/mo |
| Median year built | 1968 |
| Housing units | 15,561 |
| Vacancy rate | 11.7% |
Own vs. rent
Of 13,734 occupied units
| Owner households | 7,246 |
|---|---|
| Renter households | 6,488 |
Building types
Units by structure size
Getting to work
How 28052 commutes
75.5% of workers drove alone, and the average one-way trip takes 28.7 minutes.
Mode of transport
Workers 16 and older
Travel time
Mean commute 28.7 minutes
Overview
Understanding ZIP code 28052
ZIP code 28052 is assigned to Gastonia, NC, and falls within Gaston County. Like every US postal code, it began as a mail-routing device rather than a geographic boundary — the US Postal Service groups delivery routes under a single code so carriers and sorting equipment can process mail efficiently. Today it also serves as a practical shorthand for the area itself: roughly 36,896 people live inside it.
At 891 residents per square mile spread over 41.407 square miles, 28052 reads as a small-town area. It is a populous postal code, and density shapes almost everything else on this page — how people get to work, whether they own or rent, and what housing costs.
Household earnings are well below the national median. At $46,015, 28052 ranks among the lower-income postal codes, ahead of 11% of them. The US median for comparison is $70,109. Bear in mind that median income describes the midpoint household, not the average — it is not pulled upward by a handful of very high earners the way a mean would be.
Living here
What life in Gastonia looks like
Housing in 28052 costs below the national median. A typical home is valued at $173,500 against a US median of $207,500, and median gross rent runs $1,058 a month. The split between owning and renting is fairly even at 52.8% owner-occupied, which tends to indicate a mix of housing types rather than one dominant form.
The building stock is dominated by detached single-family houses, which account for 76.1% of housing units here. The median construction year is 1968, making the housing here mid-century.
The population skews younger than the country as a whole, with a median age of 34.6 against 42 nationally. The average household holds 2.69 people, and 62.2% are family households.
Getting to work takes 28.7 minutes on average one way. The dominant mode is drove alone at 75.5% of workers.
Where to stay
Where to stay in Gastonia, NC
Gastonia is a smaller community, so options inside 28052 may be limited to a handful of independent inns, motels or bed-and-breakfast properties. Travellers often widen the search to the surrounding area, where the choice is greater and prices are usually competitive.
Median rent in 28052 is $1,058 a month, which sits in the middle of the national range; accommodation pricing locally tends to be similarly mid-market. For reference, Atlanta, GA is about 206.7 miles away in a straight line, which is worth factoring in if you are comparing a stay here against one closer to the city centre.
Availability and pricing change constantly, so the live search below will give you a more accurate picture than any figure we could publish here. It opens results for this area on Booking.com.
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Practical uses
What ZIP code 28052 is used for
Beyond addressing mail, 28052 does a lot of quiet administrative work. Retailers use it to calculate shipping and sales tax at checkout. Insurers use it to set premiums, since risk profiles vary geographically. Employers and marketers use it to define service areas. Government agencies use it to route benefits and organise reporting. If you have ever been asked for a postal code by a form that clearly does not intend to send you anything, this is why.
For anyone weighing a move, 28052 offers a compact profile of Gastonia: 36,896 residents, a median household income of $46,015, 16.3% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher, and an unemployment rate of 8.2%. A handful of figures like these answer more relocation questions than most neighbourhood guides do.
One caution worth repeating: a postal code is not a neighbourhood. 28052 may cover parts of several distinct areas, and a single neighbourhood in Gastonia may be split across more than one code. Boundaries also shift as USPS adjusts delivery routes. Treat the figures here as describing a delivery area, which is what they actually measure.
Nearby
ZIP codes near 28052
The eight closest postal codes by centroid distance, each with its own full profile. You can also browse every North Carolina ZIP code or use the ZIP Express Lookup to search by city, county or time zone.
Other ZIP codes in Gastonia
Gastonia is served by 5 postal codes.
More in Gaston County
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Questions
Common questions about 28052
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Can ZIP code 28052 change?
Methodology
Where this data comes from
- Postal geography — GeoNames open postal code database (CC BY 4.0), cross-checked against the US Census Gazetteer.
- Demographics, income, housing, commute — US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019–2023 5-Year Estimates, ZIP Code Tabulation Area 28052. Tables B01001, B01002, B01003, B02001, B03003, B08301, B08303, B11001, B15003, B17001, B19001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25024, B25035, B25064, B25077, B28002.
- Land and water area — US Census Bureau 2023 Gazetteer Files.
- Weather — NOAA National Weather Service, fetched live in your browser.
- Map — OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).