Mecklenburg County 2024 Pulse Report

In the past decade, Mecklenburg County (the County) has emerged as a premier destination for living, learning, working, and recreation. Despite its esteemed reputation and notable changes in recent years, residents face external pressures in various aspects such as the economy, housing, health, land development, and infrastructure.

This comprehensive report delves into community-level indicators utilized by County staff, leaders, decision-makers, and researchers to grasp the evolving dynamics of the region. By shedding light on both accomplishments and challenges over time, it equips individuals aspiring to address the needs of residents with a deeper understanding of the unfolding scenario and highlight potential areas where optimal strategies can be applied to meet the County's service demands.  

The report is organized by these topic areas: 

• Demographics
• Economy
• Housing
• Land Development and Environment
• Health
• Learn More

Explore each topic by clicking on the navigation bar above, or by scrolling through this page.  Images in this story can be enlarged by clicking on them.

In 2021, population growth slowed significantly for natural population (births minus deaths) and for immigration. However, in 2022, the population slightly up ticked, primarily driven by increased immigration. Immigration numbers in population calculations tend to vary more so than natural population change, and that is mainly due to changes in immigration policies, economic changes, and general foreign policy in other countries.

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From the 2020 Census to 2022, North Carolina grew by 133,088 in population.

According to the Census Bureau: “The biggest  gains from net domestic migration  last year were in Florida (318,855), Texas (230,961) and North Carolina (99,796), while the biggest losses were in California (-343,230), New York (-299,557) and Illinois (-141,656).”

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The chart above reflects the year over year annual growth rate for the United States (U.S.), North Carolina, and Mecklenburg County. From summer 2021 to summer 2022, the County’s population increased by over 1.74% (or by approximately 20,000 residents), reaching a total of 1,145,392 million residents.  For historical context, Mecklenburg County had a growth rate of approximately 2.5% between 2011 and 2012 when the estimated population was at 967,418. 

From 2016-2020, most residents migrating out of Mecklenburg County moved to adjacent counties. On the other hand, most people who moved to Mecklenburg County came from Florida, followed by New York, and then from other counties in North Carolina.

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Over the past 10 years, Mecklenburg has seen increasing diversity amongst residents. Between 2012 and 2022, the share of the population that is Hispanic/Latino grew the most, increasing 2.2 percentage points to 14.4%. The White (non-Hispanic) population had the largest decrease dropping 4.9 percentage points to 44.9%.

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The share of the population that is 0 to 4 years old decreased from 7.2% in 2012 to 6.3% in 2022. The share of the population that is 65 and older increased from 9.4% in 2012 to 12.2% in 2022.

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Overall, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area continues to be a desirable place for many domestic and international individuals to live. While the population growth in the region has slowed down and out-migration is outpacing domestic and international in-migration, Mecklenburg's economy remains strong. Yet, without continuing to monitor the growth, economy, housing impacts, health, and wellness outcomes, the region could experience more strain on people and infrastructure than ever.

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As shown in the “Demographics” section, the Charlotte metro area and Mecklenburg County have been a top destination for in-migration over the past few years. One reason for this migration is the desirability of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in the eyes of working adults and retirees. Out of large cities where working adults most want to live, Charlotte ranked number 4. Similarly, Charlotte ranked number 3 in the top retiree destinations. In all,  these rankings  depict Charlotte and the rest of Mecklenburg County as a top contender in the nation’s most desirable places to live.

Despite the high desirability, County residents may be seeing the start of a cool-down with in-migration growth. By the end of 2023, Charlotte dropped from the  10 ^th  hottest real estate markets in the nation down to 13 ^th  . This is a further decrease from Charlotte’s peak popularity in 2020 when the city was the nation’s 5 ^th  hottest real estate market.

This dip in the real estate market may reflect deeper affordability and market issues. The following graphs will highlight an emerging issue of affordability in Mecklenburg County paired with potential issues facing access higher earnings due to low rates of higher education attainment.

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Though showing a slight decrease year-over-year (YoY) between 2021 and 2022, the living wage, or the minimum wage required to pay for basic needs plus the local tax rate, for a single adult with no children living in Mecklenburg County has increased by over 35% from Pre-Pandemic (2019) to now (2023).

The hourly wage required for a single adult to pay for basic needs in Mecklenburg County in 2023 was $16.72.

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The increase in the living wage for residents can be attributed to the increase in average expenses for basic needs. These increases have been felt nationwide, with the  national inflation rate change from 2019 to 2023 at 19.2% . However, Mecklenburg County residents have witnessed expense increases that far exceed the national inflation rate, with a combined average of 36.08% more for basic needs than they did in 2019. By far, the costliest basic need expense increase for single adults with no children in Mecklenburg County was housing, rising almost $3,000 over the past five years.

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The story is similar but worse for residents with children. Rather than seeing a lull in year-over-year increase, the living wage for single adults with two children has risen every year since 2019, with the wage requirement increasing from $28.88 to $45.99. This is an increase of over 54%.

Basic need categories are across the board more expensive for single adults with children; however, the increase in housing for these residents is slightly lower than for adults with no children. Rather than housing, the greatest increase burdening single adults with children is childcare. The cost of childcare for two children has increased by almost $13,000 (nearly 114%) between 2019 and 2023.

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• Poverty Wage: The poverty threshold is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services. It is an administrative threshold to determine eligibility for financial assistance from the federal government.

• Minimum Wage: The minimum wage estimates the lowest threshold an employer can legally pay employees for certain types of work. The federal minimum wage is used for states where the state minimum wage is less than the federal minimum of $7.25. The average minimum wage of all fifty states and the District of Columbia is used to estimate the national minimum wage.

• Living Wage: The living wage is defined as the hourly rate that an individual in a household must earn to support his or herself and their family, accounting for a calculation of basic needs expenses. The assumption is the sole provider is working full-time (2,080 hours per year).

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By 2022, the overall median household income had increased to $79,265, or by 23% compared to $64,312 in 2018.

However, it is important to note that even with these increases, the median household from the backgrounds of Two or More Races, Hispanic/Latino, Black, and Other Races, with a single working adult caring for two children, would not meet the living wage standard for the most recent year (2023) at $95,669 or even for the 2022 standard, at $88,546.

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Higher educational attainment can lead to higher wages and lower unemployment. Individuals with only a high school diploma have the lowest median weekly earnings and the highest rate of unemployment. The median yearly earnings for individuals with bachelor’s degrees is $74,464 ($1,432 x 52).

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In Mecklenburg County, under half of Black residents, Hispanic / Latino residents, residents from Two or More Races, and residents from Other Races have earned a bachelor’s degree, while well over half of Asian residents and White residents have earned a bachelor’s degree.

This variation in educational attainment tracks with the median household income data from the Census Bureau, with a clear split between Asian and White residents and all other residents.

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Though more individuals were employed in jobs that only required a high school diploma, the average median wage for jobs requiring a bachelor’s degree was $48,500 higher and the projected market demand growth for bachelor’s degree jobs outpaced that of high school diploma jobs in Mecklenburg County.

The split between Asian and White resident bachelor’s degree attainment and all other resident bachelor’s degree attainment may be a leading factor in the lower median household incomes of these residents as indicated by the differences in median occupational wages.

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The median sale price for a home in Mecklenburg County at the end of calendar year 2023 was $415,000.

For someone considering a home purchase with a 20% down payment of $83,000 and a 6.5% interest rate on a 30-year mortgage, an income of at least $40.36 an hour or $83,939 per year is required to afford housing expenses at 30% of their total monthly budget.

The graph to the right shows how this wage compares to the top five and bottom five earning occupations in Mecklenburg County. Only the typical wages for those working in architecture/engineering and above can afford a median priced home in Mecklenburg County without being cost-burdened. A resident becomes cost-burdened when they spend more than 30% of their income on housing.

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Despite concerns with affordability, the percent of residents below the poverty level has dropped over the past 10 years and has leveled out within the last three years, to a total estimate of 115,796.

Some assumptions are the levels have dropped due to the increase in COVID-19 funding into the community since 2020.

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However, despite the reduction in residents below the poverty level, demographic characteristics reflect the income and education data displayed earlier.

Of the 10.5% of residents who are in poverty in Mecklenburg County, over half (55%) are Black or Hispanic / Latino. Though it should be noted that this demographic breakdown is also roughly similar to the size of each demographic proportional to the total county population.

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Challenges around cost of living and affordability have risen in recent years for Mecklenburg County residents. With high migration and inflation in the County since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, the cost of basic needs has risen drastically. Many residents still do not meet the “living wage” standard, despite increases in median earnings. Additionally, disparities in educational attainment correlate to differences in education and earnings by race. Yet, despite these issues, poverty in Mecklenburg County is at a 10-year low.

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Throughout the U.S. and at the metro-level,  renter cost-burden rose in all of the 25 largest metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) from 2019 to 2022 . Cost-burdened refers to households that pay more than 30% of their gross income on housing.

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The Charlotte MSA ranked # 22 on the list with 49.4% of renters as cost-burdened compared to 2019 where 45% of renters were cost-burdened. However, the Charlotte MSA still fell below the U.S. average rate, where 51.9 % of renters are cost-burdened.

Moreover, rent is growing at a faster rate than income, with a 26% change in rent compared to a 17% change in renter income, leading to a 4.9% rise in renter cost-burden.

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Severely cost-burdened refers to households that pay more than 50% of their gross income on housing.

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 The investor demand for single-family homes declined in 2022 due to increasing interest rates . Despite this, investor purchases remained high because homeowner purchases declined.

Since Q3 2021, Charlotte has experienced a consistent decrease in investor purchases, although the trend has stabilized. In Q3 2023, the share of homes bought by investors was 17.6%, with a substantial change of -49.6% from Q3 2022 to Q3 2023.

Despite this trend, residents in Charlotte remain concerned about the impacts of institutional investors and corporate owned landlords.

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While the share of homes bought by investors decreased over the past three calendar years, there was no correlation with the median sale prices of homes purchased by investors. In fact, where home sale prices were up, so remained a relatively higher percent of homes purchased by investors.

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High housing costs for owners and renters continues to remain a problem both nationally and locally. These high costs are a critical part of the stress that many residents feel in Mecklenburg County. When compared to the out-migration patterns, residents may be choosing to live outside Mecklenburg County to get a sense of relief on housing and/or residents may be choosing not to purchase homes due to the high interest rates.

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In Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, there was a 30% decrease in the number of building permits for single family homes in Mecklenburg County when compared to FY2022. This continues the downward trend from FY2021 to FY2022 (-9%).

However, building permits for multi-family housing units and townhomes saw increases from FY2021 to FY2023.

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• Permits are strong close to the center city.​

• Multi-Family permits are strong along the Blue Line light rail​.

• Single-Family and Commercial are also numerous in and around the light rail.

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Growth projections continue to favor areas closest to central Charlotte and the University area, as well as along the Blue Line rail corridor.

39% (237) of the County’s total multi-family residential permits in 2023 were within one mile of the Blue Line Lynx Rail.

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Drinking water in Mecklenburg County continues to be excellent. The Lake Norman and Mountain Island Lake drinking water sources produce an average of 117 million gallons of drinking water a day for Mecklenburg County residents.

The drinking water quality result seen to the right is based on several measurements of general water quality including levels of bacteria, nutrients, metals, and other contaminants. In the summer months, it is not uncommon to see results decrease slightly as warmer weather facilitates bacteria growth.

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As of 2023, Mecklenburg County currently meets all federal health-based air quality standards and has previously exceeded the standard for ground-level ozone.

The improvement is due in part to strict state and federal requirements for industrial facilities and motor vehicles. Local efforts, such as Grants to Replace Aging Diesel Engines, Breathing Room, and compliance assistance for permitted facilities have also contributed. To learn how you can improve air quality  visit the Pollution Reduction Tips page. 

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), which is responsible for setting health-based air quality standards, is reviewing the standard for fine particulate matter. A lower, more protective standard could make it harder to achieve as many “good” days in the future. Mecklenburg County’s Air Quality staff will coordinate with the North Carolina (NC) Division of Air Quality to develop strategies to meet future, stronger health-based standards.

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Overall, building permits for single family homes continue to decrease year-over-year while permits for townhouses and multi-family residential continue to increase. Multi-family residential development continues to be concentrated near light rail with 39% of multi-family residential permits in 2023 within one mile of the Blue Line. Growth is projected to increase in proximity to the Blue Line, as well as within central Charlotte and the University area.​

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Mecklenburg County ranks very well, outranking 94 other counties when compared to others in North Carolina.

The  rankings are determined by the County Health Rankings National Findings Report  which examines community factors that influence how well and how long individuals live. Qualitative measures including adult self-reports of being in poor or fair health (both physically and mentally), infant health data such as low birth rates, and other factors. 

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Access to care is influenced by various factors, including insurance. In North Carolina, the uninsured rate was 13% in 2022.

In accordance with Health North Carolina 2030, a project launched by the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM), Mecklenburg County is working towards decreasing the percent of uninsured individuals to 8% by 2030.

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Despite this overall decrease, some disparities still show when compared across demographic groups.

The rate of uninsured is more than five times higher for Hispanic/Latinos than Whites. While uninsurance rates have declined over time, progress has been slower for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino populations.

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While the percent near a health clinic has increased, 35% is relatively low.

Other factors that impact health care access are geographic barriers, often compounded by transportation issues. Reducing physical barriers is important to improve access to health. 

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Mapped above are the 22 locations of free and low-cost health clinics and 7 dental clinics serving residents who do not have health insurance. Mecklenburg County expects two new clinics to join this network in 2024.

In addition to conventional brick & mortar locations, residents may also choose to access mobile health and telehealth services.

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As part of conducting  the Mecklenburg County Community Health Assessment (CHA) , county residents were surveyed about health priorities and grouped by race and ethnicity.

Data to the right reflects Mecklenburg County residents' rankings of health priorities. Across racial/ethnic groups, mental health ranked as the most important issue impacting the community. 

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Access to mental health services is a critical part of access to healthcare.

To help improve mental health,  several states have passed legislation  that allow mental health to qualify as an excused absence in public school systems. This has not been the case historically, but as more youth struggle with mental health, this type of absence is as legitimate as physical illness.

North Carolina does not have legislation regarding mental health days.

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Mecklenburg County, ranked 6 ^th  healthiest in North Carolina and boasts a lower uninsured rate than the state average. Ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare access, including increased Medicaid and access to low-cost providers reflect a commitment to community well-being. Despite progress, disparities persist, particularly with Hispanic/Latino populations facing higher uninsurance rates than other racial groups.

Additionally, mental health is a unanimous concern among residents across racial groups, underscoring the need for support in this area.