Gaston County Visitor Spending Reaches $395.2 Million in 2025

Gaston County spending increases by 1.1% to $395.22 million

Gastonia, N.C. – Domestic and international visitors to and within Gaston County spent $395.22 million in 2025, an increase of 1.1% from 2024. The data comes from an annual study commissioned by Visit North Carolina, part of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina.

“Tourism continues to be an important economic driver for Gaston County, supporting nearly 2,500 jobs, generating millions in payroll and tax revenue, and helping reduce the tax burden on our residents”, said Michael Applegate, Director of Gaston County Parks, Recreation & Tourism. “These results demonstrate the value visitors bring to our local businesses, workforce and overall quality of life.”

Tourism impact highlights for 2025:

• The travel and tourism industry directly employs 2,487 in Gaston County.

• Total payroll generated by the tourism industry in Gaston County was $95.79 million.

• State tax revenue generated in Gaston County totaled $15.66 million through state sales and excise taxes, and taxes on personal and corporate income. Another $9.91 million in local taxes were generated from occupancy, sales and property tax revenue from travel-generated and travel-supported businesses.

• Each Gaston County resident saved $103.06 on average in state and local taxes as a direct result of visitor spending in the county.

These statistics come from “The Economic Impact of Travel on North Carolina Counties 2025,” which can be accessed at VisitNC.com/economic-impact. The study was prepared for Visit North Carolina by Tourism Economics.

Statewide, visitor spending in 2025 rose 1.3 percent to reach a record $37.2 billion. Direct tourism employment increased 0.3% to 230,997. Fifty-nine percent of counties experienced increases in visitor spending from 2024 to 2025 with 14 percent recording flat performance. By county, and by region, dispersion and resilience is the story.