Most of Gastonia is in Gaston County, where a full-time job needs to pay at least $37.50 an hour before taxes to take home four times the typical studio rent.
Across the 5 ZIP codes in Gastonia with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,150 to $1,340 a month. At the middle rent, $1,190, a full-time job would need to pay $37.50 an hour before taxes.
What the standard would be at each ZIP code's own studio rent. The calculator and the official standard use the county figure.
| ZIP | County | Studio rent | Pay needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28052 | Gaston County | $1,150/mo | $35.99/hr |
| 28053 | Gaston County | $1,190/mo | $37.50/hr |
| 28054 | Gaston County | $1,340/mo | $43.15/hr |
| 28055 | Gaston County | $1,190/mo | $37.50/hr |
| 28056 | Gaston County | $1,230/mo | $39.01/hr |
Under the Four Times Rent standard, a full-time job in Gastonia needs to pay at least $37.50 an hour before taxes, about $78,003 a year. That is the figure for Gaston County, where the typical studio rent is $1,190 a month.
Yes. Across the 5 ZIP codes in Gastonia with HUD rent figures, studio rents run from $1,150 to $1,340 a month. At the middle rent of $1,190, the pay needed would be $37.50 an hour.
The minimum wage in Gaston County is $7.25 an hour. The Four Times Rent standard there is 5.2 times that.
The Four Times Rent standard: a month of full-time work (160 hours) should take home at least four times the typical rent on a studio apartment in the county where the work is done. Rents: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents. Taxes: 2026 federal and state income taxes plus Social Security and Medicare, for a single filer. Why four times rent? · Method and data downloads