Gastonia, North Carolina has 12 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs, with tuition ranging from $2,526 to $45,312 per year for indexed programs. Gastonia has a population of about 81,632. Median household income is $60,554 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 27.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area, the top-earning hospitality management-related role is Lodging Manager at a median $76,520 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Hospitality Management Schools to Gastonia
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer hospitality management programs near Gastonia, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Gastonia city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Gastonia.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
59%
Graduation rate
26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$32,600
Avg net price
$13,479/yr
TuitionIn‑state$18,296
Out‑of‑state$18,296
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 9
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
75%
Graduation rate
72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,389
Avg net price
$38,707/yr
TuitionIn‑state$45,312
Out‑of‑state$45,312
Key stats- Retention rate: 85%
- Programs offered: 36
Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$51,539
Avg net price
$22,488/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 29
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all North Carolina schools on the North Carolina hospitality management page.
Hospitality Management Wages Near Gastonia
Gastonia is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metro area (BLS area code 16740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to North Carolina statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Lodging Manager | $76,520 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $78,643 |
| Food Service Manager | $75,460 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $77,554 |
| Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner | $59,420 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $61,069 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Gastonia at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 81,632 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $60,554 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 27.7% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 97.3 (below U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Gastonia-Area Cities With Hospitality Management Programs
- Lincolnton, NC – 15.8 mi away (23,264 pop)
- Charlotte, NC – 20.2 mi away (1,438,351 pop)
- Shelby, NC – 20.3 mi away (27,288 pop)
- Huntersville, NC – 20.6 mi away (54,839 pop)
- Cornelius, NC – 23.0 mi away (28,515 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited hospitality management schools are near Gastonia, NC?
Our directory has 12 accredited schools offering hospitality management programs near Gastonia. The closest is Johnson & Wales University-Charlotte in Charlotte, NC (18.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of South Carolina-Columbia (87.0 miles). 9 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying hospitality management roles near Gastonia?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying hospitality management-related roles near Gastonia are: Lodging Manager ($76,520), Food Service Manager ($75,460), Meeting, Convention, and Event Planner ($59,420). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with North Carolina statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Lincolnton instead of Gastonia?
Lincolnton, NC is 15.8 miles from Gastonia and has its own set of local hospitality management programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Gastonia an affordable place to study hospitality management?
Gastonia’s median household income of $60,554 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Gastonia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and North Carolina public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Hospitality Management Programs
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Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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