Gaston County, NC jobs, unemployment and layoffs
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Show me jobs near meGaston County economy
3.2%
unemployment, Sep 2026
3.9% the month before
116,203
in the labor force
Source: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics
231,485
people in Gaston County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
$65,472
median household income
Source: Census ACS
36%
of workers in white-collar occupations
Management, business, financial and professional; Census ACS
Gaston County outlook: Building
Built from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census figures. It describes the area, not any one employer in it.
- Private-sector jobs up 6.3% from 2022 to 2025
- Population up 7.8% from 2020 to 2025
- Unemployment 3.2%, down 0.7 points from a year ago
- Sectors adding the most jobs: health care (+2,667 jobs), hotels & food (+656 jobs)
- Sectors losing the most jobs: manufacturing (−1,215 jobs)
Local job-market news
Recent headlines about layoffs, AI and jobs in Gaston County. Each link goes to the publisher.
- Gastonia's Ray's Country Smokehouse Closes Doors After 60-Plus Years on Broad StreetHoodline · Oct 2, 2026
Learn and get funded in Gaston County
- Which AI skills each kind of job asks for, with the pay premium.
- Your local workforce board and American Job Centers: training vouchers and re-employment help.
- Grants and funding for job seekers, ranked for your state and situation.
- Unemployment benefits by state, if you are between jobs.
Gaston County layoffs
2
Layoff notices, last 12 months
81
workers named
A floor: states may leave out counts
1
employer
| Notice date | Employer | City or county | Workers | Type | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firestone Fibers and Textiles, LLCTakes effect Apr 28, 2026 | Gaston County | 77 | Layoff | State record | |
| Firestone Fibers and Textiles, LLCTakes effect Apr 28, 2026 | Gaston County | 4 | Layoff | State record |
Employers hiring most in Gaston County
Employers with the most open professional roles in this county’s cities. The county is taken from each job’s city, so roles with no city are not counted.
- Trulite Glass & Aluminum Solutions4 open roles
- Addison Group3 open roles
- CaroMont Health3 open roles
- Lubrizol3 open roles
- Gaston College2 open roles
- Owens Corning2 open roles
- AccruePartners1 open role
- Airswift1 open role
- Bank OZK1 open role
- Black & Veatch1 open role
Colleges in Gaston County
| College | City | Type | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belmont Abbey College | Belmont | Private non-profit 4-year | 1,000–4,999 |
Workforce development and job centers
The public workforce board and American Job Centers serving Gaston County. They offer free help with job search, training and filing for benefits.
Laid off in North Carolina? How to file for unemployment in North Carolina (steps, weekly amount and the appeal deadline).
NCWorks Career Center- Gaston County
Gastonia · Comprehensive · 980-460-8240
In-person and Virtual Services, M-TH 8:00am-4:30pm; F 8:00am-1pm
Cities in Gaston County
Other North Carolina counties
Laid off or looking for work in Gaston County?
See what to do first and the jobs open near you.
See your options after a layoffSources: Census Bureau and BLS (county unemployment is not seasonally adjusted); layoff notices from North Carolina’s published record; job counts from our live job board; IPEDS for colleges; CareerOneStop for workforce boards and job centers. North Carolina unemployment benefits and severance rules.
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