Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety13#13,589/15,637
Economy61#6,161/15,631
Housing55#6,686/14,977
Health27#11,330/15,609
Healthcare33#10,415/15,650
Environment43#8,801/15,453
Education34#10,293/15,649
Infrastructure56#6,931/15,650
Community51#7,602/15,651
Leisure & amenities17#13,016/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Stanley, North Carolina ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Gaston County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
93/100North Carolina 23 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGaston County value
Child care cost burden · low20.5%
93/100North Carolina 25.1%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGaston County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.363
88/100North Carolina 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Distance to an airport · low13 mi
80/100North Carolina 30 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauGaston County value
Hospital quality rating · high4.0
80/100North Carolina 3.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGaston County value
Social associations · high12.4 /10k
79/100North Carolina 11.2 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGaston County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high29.9 /100k
9/100North Carolina 20.6 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGaston County value
Life expectancy · low73.2 yrs
13/100North Carolina 76.1 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGaston County value
Violent crime rate · high439 /100k
13/100North Carolina 330 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationGaston County value
Premature death · high11,834 /100k
15/100North Carolina 9,400 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGaston County value
Homicide rate · high6.7 /100k
18/100North Carolina 6.9 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGaston County value
Preventable hospital stays · high3,550 /100k
18/100North Carolina 2,742 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGaston County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
3,679 (2015-2019) → 4,069 (2020-2024)
+11%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.9% (2015-2019) → 91.5% (2020-2024)
+8.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.5× (2015-2019) → 3.6× (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Median household incomeImproving
$55,733 (2015-2019) → $75,461 (2020-2024)
+35%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
High school diploma or higherImproving
88.0% (2015-2019) → 93.0% (2020-2024)
+5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
5.6% (2015-2019) → 10.0% (2020-2024)
+4.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Stanley, North Carolina improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 13 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+8.5 points82.9% → 91.5%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Stanley, North Carolina between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	30.7 min2015-2019	26.1 min2020-2024	−4.6 min	Within the margin of error	88%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.4%2015-2019	23.1%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Broadband subscriptions	82.9%2015-2019	91.5%2020-2024	+8.5 points	Improved	52%
Effective property tax rate	1.18%2015-2019	0.93%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	67%
High school diploma or higher	88.0%2015-2019	93.0%2020-2024	+5 points	Within the margin of error	81%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+1.0×	Within the margin of error	20%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3762015-2019	0.3632020-2024	−0.013	Within the margin of error	62%
Median household income	$55,7332015-2019	$75,4612020-2024	+35%	Within the margin of error	66%
Poverty rate	7.5%2015-2019	8.1%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.6%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	45%
Rent-burdened households	43.1%2015-2019	43.2%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Unemployment rate	3.9%2015-2019	5.8%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	5.6%2015-2019	10.0%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	12%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Stanley, North Carolina five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Stanley, North Carolina in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Stanley, North Carolina itself moved +2.8 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

4,069 residents (±57)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under 10 men (−5.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

4,069 residents (±57)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

White77%3,121
Black10%†427
Hispanic or Latino8.2%†332
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%†2
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races4.6%†187

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

2,817 residents (±220)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

No high school diploma7.0%†197
High school or GED29%824
Some college25%706
Associate degree16%†438
Bachelor's degree17%465
Graduate degree6.6%†187

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Associate degree (+10.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

1,545 households (±143)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $25k16%†240
$25k–50k18%†271
$50k–75k17%†258
$75k–100k20%†310
$100k–150k21%†326
$150k–200k4.7%†72
$200k or more4.4%†68

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−9.4 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

1,545 households (±143)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Own71%1,092
Rent29%†453

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

442 households (±155)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $7508.4%†37
$750–1,00022%†96
$1,000–1,50061%†271

Home values

1,092 homes (±152)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under $150k17%†184
$150k–250k30%†328
$250k–400k40%435

Age of homes

1,639 homes (±146)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

2010 or later16%†264
2000–200915%†240
1980–199918%†

Size of homes

1,639 homes (±146)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Studio0.9%†15
1 bedroom4.3%†71
2 bedrooms33%†543

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

1,991 workers (±187)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Drive alone75%1,498
Carpool13%†263
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home11%†221
Other0.5%†9

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

1,770 workers (±206)

Stanley, North Carolina
North Carolina share

Under 15 min19%†342
15–29 min38%†680
30–44 min28%†

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Gaston County, the county holding most of Stanley's residents.

Gaston County has 4,594 employer establishments, 193 for every 10,000 residents (0.78× the US rate of 248; 0.81× North Carolina's), with 72,268 paid employees at an average annual pay of $49,335. The Census Bureau also counts 19,188 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,594; 19,188 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 193; US 248 · North Carolina 237
Paid employees: 72,268
Average annual pay: $49,335; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Gaston County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	366	15.3	0.84×About typical	7,836	$19,580	113
Ambulatory health care services	364	15.3	0.73×Fewer than typical	5,022	$72,726	717
Specialty trade contractors	363	15.2	0.98×About typical	3,453	$62,323	1,638
Religious organizations	252	10.6	1.90×More than typical	1,699	$24,909	—
Lessors of real estate	197	8.3	0.67×Fewer than typical	586	$49,597	1,428
Limited-service restaurants	195	8.2	1.02×About typical	4,372	$17,820	46
Building equipment contractors	165	6.9	1.15×About typical	1,718	$60,957	326
Services to buildings and dwellings	158	6.6	0.98×About typical	843	$36,989	1,597
Full-service restaurants	143	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	3,114	$21,980	43
Offices of physicians	134	5.6	0.87×About typical	2,663	$91,664	114
Automotive repair and maintenance	124	5.2	1.03×About typical	806	$49,201	314
Construction of buildings	124	5.2	0.69×Fewer than typical	494	$58,702	607

Rank places for an industry Open Gaston County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 238,578 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Stanley, North Carolina: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

104.1FY2017
3.9KFY2018

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Stanley, North Carolina, so they do not add up across cities.

Stanley, North Carolina's figures are part of those of Gaston County, NC ($5.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Stanley is mostly in Gaston County.

See federal money in Gaston County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Stanley, North Carolina is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Tim MooreR-NC-14 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.3%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Gaston County39100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC75

Other cities and towns in Gaston County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/3764500