| | Gastonia, NC | Athens, AL | United States |
| Population | 79,483 | 25,213 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.2% | 50.8% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.8% | 49.2% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 38 | 41.9 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 71,716 | 21,993 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 66,277 | 18,967 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 54,732 | 16,901 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 17.1% | 51.0% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 41.9% | 69.5% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 1,539.0 | 632.5 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 51.6 | 39.9 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.2 | 0.3 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Gastonia, NC | Athens, AL | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 6.2% | 5.7% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 7.2% | 5.6% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 7.2% | 4.8% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 4.3% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 3.8% | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 4.4% | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 15.2% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 13.3% | 11.6% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.0% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 5.9% | 8.7% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.4% | 7.0% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 9.5% | 10.6% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 4.2% | 6.1% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Gastonia, NC | Athens, AL | United States |
| White | 55.6% | 70.8% | 59.4% |
| Black | 29.4% | 15.1% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 1.3% | 1.8% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.1% | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.0% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 3.3% | 2.6% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 10.0% | 9.2% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Gastonia, NC | Athens, AL | United States |
| Married Population | 46.0% | 54.8% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 43.3% | 53.5% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.8% | 1.2% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 54.0% | 45.2% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 34.0% | 26.4% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 13.3% | 11.2% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 6.7% | 7.6% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.52 | 2.41 | 2.60 |
| Households | 30,991 | 10,211 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 19,139 | 6,882 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 29.3% | 26.7% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 36.6% | 48.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 11,852 | 3,329 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 21.7% | 15.0% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 12.4% | 10.0% | 10.8% |