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High Shoals, NC
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers
Population
534
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Age
30.5
years ∙ half population younger than 30.5, half older
Diversity Index
38.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Nativity
5.8%
foreign-born population
Geographic Context
Location, size, and surroundings
About
High Shoals is a city within Gaston County, North Carolina, United States.
Co-ordinates
DEC35.389979° N, 81.202072° W
DMS35° 23′ 23.92″ N, 81° 12′ 07.46″ W
Population Density & area
205.4/sq mi
(79.23/km²)
Demographics & Living
Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition
Population Composition
Key characteristics of the population
Sex Distribution
55.2%
male
Male
55.2%
Female
44.8%
males per 100 females
High Shoals
123.4
Gaston County
93.8
North Carolina
95.6
Nativity
5.8%
foreign-born population
% Foreign-born
High Shoals
5.8%
Gaston County
6.4%
North Carolina
9.1%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups
Median Age
30.5
years ∙ half population younger than 30.5, half older
Dependency ratio
82.9
dependents per 100 working-age adults
High Shoals
82.9
Gaston County
63.8
North Carolina
63.8
AGE DISTRIBUTION
Distribution of age group
Median age
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age Group | |||
| Children (Under 18) | 38% | 22.4% | 21.8% |
| Working age (18-64) | 54.7% | 61.1% | 61% |
| Senior (65+) | 7.3% | 16.5% | 17.2% |
| Dependency ratio | |||
| Total dependency ratio | 82.9 | 63.8 | 63.8 |
| Child dependency ratio | 69.5 | 36.7 | 35.6 |
| Old-age dependency ratio | 13.4 | 27 | 28.2 |
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares
Race & Ethnicity
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.
Diversity Index
38.4%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
High Shoals
38.4%
Gaston County
51.8%
North Carolina
58.4%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.
RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION
Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of High Shoals population
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hispanic or Latino | 6% | 9.9% | 11.3% |
| Mexican | 2.2% | 3.3% | 5.6% |
| Puerto Rican | 0.6% | 1.6% | 1.3% |
| Cuban | 1.7% | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Other Hispanic / Latino | 1.5% | 4.8% | 4.1% |
| Not Hispanic or Latino | 94% | 90.1% | 88.7% |
| One race | 88.9% | 85.9% | 84.6% |
| White | 77.2% | 66.4% | 60% |
| Black or African American | 11.8% | 17.1% | 20% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0% | 0.1% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 0% | 1.6% | 3.3% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0.1% |
| Some Other Race | 0% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Two or more races (Multiracial) | 5.1% | 4.2% | 4.1% |
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure
Household structure
86.8%
family
Family
86.8%
Non family
13.2%
% family households
High Shoals
86.8%
Gaston County
65.6%
North Carolina
64.3%
Average household size
2.81
persons per household
Household & Family COMPOSITION
Households
Percentage of High Shoals population
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total households | 190 | 93,576 | 4,282,345 |
| Average houshold size | 2.81 | 2.48 | 2.44 |
| Family households | 165 | 61,422 | 2,753,022 |
| Average family size | 3.06 | 3.04 | 3.03 |
| Married couple family | 116 | 42,095 | 2,021,951 |
| Other families | 49 | 19,327 | 731,071 |
| Male householder | 5 | 5,281 | 195,051 |
| Female householder | 44 | 14,046 | 536,020 |
| Non-family households | 25 | 32,154 | 1,529,323 |
| One-person households | 25 | 26,460 | 1,258,822 |
| Male householder | 5 | 11,457 | 544,050 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 2 | 3,828 | 160,332 |
| Female householder | 20 | 15,003 | 714,772 |
| Senior (65+) living alone | 10 | 7,531 | 342,051 |
| Other living arrangements | 0 | 5,694 | 270,501 |
Housing Profile
Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens
Total housing units
233
housing units
High Shoals
233
Gaston County
101,671
North Carolina
4,895,668
Occupancy status
81.5%
occupied
Occupied
81.5%
Vacant
18.5%
vacancy rate
High Shoals
18.5%
Gaston County
8%
North Carolina
12.5%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used
Types of Housing unit
72.1%
Single family houses
Median Year Built
1983
Half of houses were built before 1983, and half after.
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.
Housing Characteristics
Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooms per unit | |||
| Median rooms | 4.7 | 5.5 | 5.6 |
| 1–3 rooms | 5.2% | 9.1% | 11.4% |
| 4–6 rooms | 84.5% | 61.6% | 54.9% |
| 7+ rooms | 10.3% | 29.5% | 33.6% |
| Bedrooms | |||
| No bedroom / studio | 0% | 1% | 1.9% |
| 1 bedroom | 10.3% | 5.9% | 7.1% |
| 2 bedrooms | 55.4% | 26.8% | 23.8% |
| 3 bedrooms | 30.9% | 49.7% | 46.2% |
| 4+ bedrooms | 3.5% | 16.6% | 21% |
| At a glance | |||
| Median year built | 1983 | 1983 | 1992 |
| Total housing units | 233 | 101,671 | 4,895,668 |
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it
Homeownership
40.5%
owners
Renter-occupied
59.5%
Owner-occupied
40.5%
homeownership rate
High Shoals
40.5%
Gaston County
66.8%
North Carolina
66.6%
Average household size
2.4
Owner-occupied
3.09
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
High Shoals
2.4
Gaston County
2.54
North Carolina
2.54
Housing Characteristics
Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total occupied units | 190 | 93,576 | 4,282,345 |
| Year moved in | |||
| 2020 or later | 30% | 24.2% | 26.2% |
| 2010 to 2019 | 41.1% | 39.1% | 39.2% |
| 2000 to 2009 | 14.2% | 16.2% | 16.2% |
| 1999 or earlier | 14.7% | 20.5% | 18.5% |
| Occupants per room | |||
| 1.00 or fewer | 85.8% | 97.4% | 97.8% |
| 1.01 to 1.50 | 14.2% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| 1.51 or more | 0% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Vehicles availability | |||
| No vehicles | 1.1% | 5.1% | 5.3% |
| 1 vehicle | 44.7% | 30.7% | 31.4% |
| 2 vehicles | 37.4% | 38.5% | 38% |
| 3 or more vehicles | 16.8% | 25.7% | 25.2% |
| House heating fuel used | |||
| Gas | 7.4% | 40.4% | 30.5% |
| Electricity | 92.6% | 57.3% | 65.5% |
| Solar | 0% | 0.1% | 0.1% |
| Fuel oil, kerosene etc | 0% | 0.6% | 2% |
| All other fuels | 0% | 0.8% | 1.3% |
| No fuel used | 0% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Selected characteristics | |||
| Lacking complete plumbing | 0% | 0.4% | 0.3% |
| Lacking complete kitchen | 0% | 0.7% | 0.6% |
| No telephone service available | 6.3% | 0.7% | 0.8% |
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth
Median home value
$230,400
owner-occupied units
Housing Cost Burden
20.8%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.
Financial characteristics
Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property value | |||
| Median Value | $230,400 | $266,000 | $288,900 |
| Under $100,000 | 5.2% | 11.1% | 12.7% |
| $100,000 - $200,000 | 33.8% | 21.3% | 18.9% |
| $200,000 - $300,000 | 23.4% | 27.3% | 20.5% |
| $300,000 - $500,000 | 31.2% | 29.2% | 28.3% |
| $500,000 - $1,000,000 | 6.5% | 9.4% | 16.3% |
| $1,000,000 and more | 0% | 1.8% | 3.3% |
| Owner-occupied households | |||
| With a mortgage | 62.3% | 62.6% | 61.3% |
| Without a mortgage | 37.7% | 37.4% | 38.7% |
| Median monthly owner costs | |||
| With a mortgage | $1,365 | $1,493 | $1,631 |
| Without a mortgage | $553 | $471 | $490 |
| Gross rent | |||
| Median rent | $968 | $1,153 | $1,228 |
Education Profile
How educated is the community and how education pays off
Adults with a college degree
10.4%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
High Shoals
10.4%
Gaston County
26.5%
North Carolina
35.7%
Adults without a high school diploma
3.5%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
High Shoals
3.5%
Gaston County
11.7%
North Carolina
9.9%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level
School enrollment
187
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)
0%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Enrollment & school type
Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrolled (age 3+) | 187 | 51,593 | 2,530,102 |
| Nursery / preschool | 9.6% | 5.7% | 5.3% |
| K–12 | 90.4% | 75.2% | 67.4% |
| Kindergarten | 1.1% | 5.2% | 4.9% |
| Elementary: Grades 1–4 | 33.2% | 22.1% | 20% |
| Elementary: Grades 5–8 | 23.5% | 24.6% | 21% |
| High School: Grades 9–12 | 32.6% | 23.4% | 21.5% |
| College or graduate school | 0% | 19.1% | 27.3% |
| College, undergraduate | 0% | 15.1% | 21.7% |
| Graduate, professional school | 0% | 4% | 5.6% |
| College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds | 0% | 27.4% | 39.3% |
| School type | |||
| Public school | 63.1% | 83.3% | 82.3% |
| Private school | 36.9% | 16.7% | 17.7% |
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults
Education attainment
289
population 25 years and over
Attainment by gender
Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
Educational Attainment Overview
Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population (25+) | 289 | 163,523 | 7,380,330 |
| Less than 9th grade | 0.7% | 3.8% | 3.9% |
| 9th–12th, no diploma | 2.8% | 7.9% | 6% |
| High school diploma or GED | 43.6% | 29.2% | 24.8% |
| Some college, no degree | 32.5% | 20.9% | 19.6% |
| Associate's degree | 10% | 11.7% | 10.1% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 10.4% | 26.5% | 35.7% |
| Bachelor's degree | 5.9% | 18.1% | 22.2% |
| Graduate or professional | 4.5% | 8.4% | 13.5% |
| High School or higher | 96.5% | 88.3% | 90.1% |
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable
Median Earnings
$52,875
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Poverty Rate
40%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Outcomes by Education Level
Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
| High Shoals | Gaston County | North Carolina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median earnings | |||
| Population 25+, with earnings | $52,875 | $48,189 | $49,275 |
| Less than high school graduate | $— | $30,121 | $31,234 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | $53,625 | $40,694 | $37,346 |
| Some college or associate's degree | $46,500 | $45,519 | $43,525 |
| Bachelor's degree | $57,500 | $62,445 | $64,395 |
| Graduate or professional degree | $— | $75,009 | $80,986 |
| Poverty rates | |||
| Less than high school graduate | 100% | 28.6% | 26.6% |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 11.9% | 15.2% | 15.2% |
| Some college or associate's degree | 22.8% | 9.1% | 10% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 40% | 4.4% | 4.2% |
About Neilsberg Research
Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.
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