Stanley, North Carolina Population
Current Population
4,237
Estimated July 1, 2025
+266 residents(+6.7%)since 2020
Annual change+1.3%2024–2025
Latest Official Census
3,963
2020 Census
TownGaston County
Population Over Time
Estimated population changed from 3,971 in 2020 to 4,237 in 2025.
| Year | Population | Change | % change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3,971 | — | — |
| 2021 | 3,999 | +28 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 4,017 | +18 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 4,078 | +61 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | 4,183 | +105 | +2.6% |
| 2025 | 4,237 | +54 | +1.3% |
2020 Census (official count): 3,963
Insights
The population of Stanley grew 11.4% from 2010 to 2020.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), table P1
Stanley is the 176th-largest of the ranked places in North Carolina by population.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — Subcounty Resident Population Estimates (SUB-EST2025), Vintage 2025
Compared against: ranked places in North Carolina
How these statements are produced
Each statement comes from a fixed rule applied to the published figures cited with it, and appears only when those figures meet the rule's conditions. The page shows at most one statement of each kind — about the place itself, about how its population changed, and about how it compares with other places. The wording comes from fixed templates; no statement is written individually for a place.
Census History
Official Decennial Census counts. Each is an enumeration taken on April 1 of its census year, separate from the annual estimates above.
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 2010 Census | 3,556 |
| 2020 Census | 3,963 |
Sources & Methodology
Current estimate — 4,237 · July 1, 2025
U.S. Census Bureau — Subcounty Resident Population Estimates (SUB-EST2025), Vintage 2025
Official Census — 3,963 · April 1, 2020
U.S. Census Bureau — 2020 Census Redistricting Data (P.L. 94-171), table P1
The current population is an annual estimate. The 2020 Census count is the official Census benchmark. These figures use different methods and may differ.
The change since 2020 compares the July 1, 2020 and July 1, 2025 estimates from the same Census Bureau Population Estimates Program release.
Methodology details
The current population figure is an annual estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. The 2020 Census is shown separately as the official benchmark. These figures can differ because the Census and annual population estimates are produced at different times using different methods. Both are shown so you can distinguish the most current estimate from the official Census benchmark.
How the change since 2020 is calculated
Both endpoints come from the same release, so the comparison is like for like: 3,971 on July 1, 2020 and 4,237 on July 1, 2025. The change is the later estimate minus the earlier one (+266), and the percentage is that change divided by the 2020 estimate (+6.7%). The Decennial Census count is never used as an endpoint here — it is an enumeration on a different reference date, produced by a different method, so subtracting one from the other would measure the difference between two methods as well as the change in population.
Geographic details
- FIPS code
- 3764500
- Legal status
- incorporated
- Legal type
- Town