Gaston County, NC elected officials: county commissioners, sheriff, school board and cities
Who holds every elected county, school board, city and special-district office in Gaston County: 28 seats on 7 elected bodies. 12 seats were on the November 3, 2026 ballot; they update once the county certifies its results.
Board of County Commissioners
Gaston County Board of Commissioners
Each member is elected by the voters of their district.
The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 17 local governments in Gaston County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
13
1
School districts (school boards)
0
1
Special districts (elected boards)
3
1
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (2 in Gaston County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Gaston County
234,881people
39.1median ageU.S.: 38.9
$67,478 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
13.5%below the U.S.: 12.5%
26.5%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$266,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
4.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
6.4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.7%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
10.7%U.S.: 8.4%
50.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
26.6%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 9.9% · White 66.4% · Black 17.1% · Asian 1.6% · Other or more than one race 5% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Gaston County
3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.9%. North Carolina: 3.1%.
112,480people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
116,203in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.2%
3,723
112,480
116,203
August 2026
3.7%
4,240
110,923
115,163
July 2026
3.8%
4,357
110,818
115,175
June 2026
3.6%
4,176
110,924
115,100
May 2026
3.6%
4,179
110,781
114,960
April 2026
3.6%
4,137
111,095
115,232
March 2026
3.7%
4,271
111,673
115,944
February 2026
4.1%
4,722
111,150
115,872
January 2026
4.3%
4,997
110,489
115,486
December 2025
3.7%
4,251
112,212
116,463
November 2025
4.1%
4,744
112,055
116,799
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.9%
4,574
112,094
116,668
August 2025
4.3%
4,994
110,916
115,910
July 2025
4.2%
4,901
112,776
117,677
June 2025
4.1%
4,798
111,698
116,496
May 2025
3.9%
4,500
111,281
115,781
April 2025
3.7%
4,251
111,427
115,678
March 2025
3.9%
4,554
111,319
115,873
February 2025
4.2%
4,811
110,579
115,390
January 2025
4.1%
4,705
111,050
115,755
December 2024
3.5%
4,038
111,196
115,234
November 2024
3.7%
4,315
110,947
115,262
October 2024
3.7%
4,266
112,091
116,357
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
4.0%
4,644
111,582
116,226
2024
3.7%
4,320
111,293
115,613
2023
3.5%
4,092
111,744
115,836
2022
3.8%
4,335
110,039
114,374
2021
5.2%
5,700
103,838
109,538
2020
7.9%
8,491
98,929
107,420
2019
3.9%
4,282
105,323
109,605
2018
4.0%
4,331
103,491
107,822
2017
4.7%
4,961
101,196
106,157
2016
5.4%
5,581
98,338
103,919
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. North Carolina's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.4% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Gaston County
440.4 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 379.2.
2,075.3 per 100,0002024. North Carolina: 1,978.3.
22murders2024, 1,067 violent crimes in all.
2024 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2024
1,067
440.4
5,028
2,075.3
2023
979
412.0
5,352
2,252.2
2022
921
392.0
5,365
2,283.2
2021
1,059
469.5
5,575
2,471.7
2020
1,156
509.3
5,824
2,565.6
By police agency (11)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Gastonia Police Department
2025
768
2,490
86,826
Gaston County Police Department
2025
108
471
84,880
Mount Holly Police Department
2025
39
208
18,971
Belmont Police Department
2025
48
331
16,272
Cherryville Police Department
2025
16
107
6,461
Dallas Police Department
2024
16
114
6,225
Bessemer City Police Department
2024
26
85
5,685
Cramerton Police Department
2024
6
69
5,556
Ranlo Police Department
2025
8
28
4,817
Stanley Police Department
2025
3
44
4,189
Lowell Police Department
2025
14
51
3,915
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in North Carolina · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.91 per 1,000 residents2025, 11 agencies serving 244,162 people.
467sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
176civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (11), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Gaston County Police Department
133
118
84,880
Gastonia Police Department
161
32
86,826
Belmont Police Department
45
6
16,272
Mount Holly Police Department
39
9
18,971
Cherryville Police Department
14
5
6,461
Dallas Police Department
15
3
6,353
Bessemer City Police Department
16
0
5,802
Cramerton Police Department
14
0
5,676
Ranlo Police Department
13
1
4,817
Lowell Police Department
9
1
3,915
Stanley Police Department
8
1
4,189
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
467
1.91
176
11
2024
461
1.91
172
11
2023
458
1.94
161
11
2022
456
1.95
162
11
2021
461
2.06
137
11
2020
451
2.00
150
11
2019
451
2.02
145
11
2018
445
2.01
142
11
2017
443
2.03
147
11
2016
435
2.03
143
11
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Gaston County Clerk of Superior Court?
Roxann Rankin (Republican) is the Clerk of Superior Court of Gaston County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who is the Gaston County Register of Deeds?
Jonathan L. Fletcher (Republican) is the Register of Deeds of Gaston County, North Carolina.
Who is the Gaston County Sheriff?
Chad Hawkins (Republican) is the Sheriff of Gaston County, North Carolina. The seat was on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the count isn't certified yet.
Who are the Gaston County commissioners?
Allen R. Fraley (Cherryville Twp); Bob Hovis (Crowders Mountain Twp); Cathy Cloninger (Dallas Twp); Tom Keigher (Gastonia Twp); Scott Shehan (Gastonia Twp); Chad Brown (Riverbend Twp).
Who is on the Gaston County School Board?
Dot Cherry (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Jeff K. Ramsey (Board of Education Member, At-Large); Beverly (Robbie) Lovelace (Board of Education Member, Cherryville Twp); Brent Moore (Board of Education Member, Crowders Mountain Twp); Josh Crisp (Board of Education Member, Dallas Twp); Lee Dedmon (Board of Education Member, Gastonia Twp); Janna Smith (Board of Education Member, Gastonia Twp); A.M. Stephens III (Board of Education Member, Riverbend Twp); Tod Kinlaw (Board of Education Member, South Point Twp).
What is the population of Gaston County?
About 234,881 people, with a median age of 39.1; the median household income is $67,478 and 13.5% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Gaston County?
3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,723 people unemployed in a labor force of 116,203, against 3.9% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Gaston County?
17 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 13 municipal and 3 special district governments.
What cities and towns are in Gaston County?
1: Gastonia. Each has its own page with its mayor and council.
Officeholders as of November 6, 2026, from the NC State Board of Elections' certified results of each seat's last election (2022–2025, and the March 2026 nonpartisan school board elections); officials appointed since then may differ; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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