Mecklenburg County is considered part of North Carolina’s “Piedmont” region, which translates to “steps to the mountains.” It’s an hour or so south of Grandfather Mountain, which rises a mile above sea level, but it’s also only about three hours to the nearest Atlantic beach.
The county is 308.6 square miles of mostly urban and suburban communities, including cities such as Matthews, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson and Mars Hills. The region is densely populated, with about 1755.5 persons per square mile, based on the 2020 census, and there are 466,911 housing units, 56.4% of which are occupied by owners. There are 421,950 households comprising an average size of 2.56 persons, and development is continuing, with 11,067 building permits recorded in 2020. The residential development is focused increasingly on building a walkable city, and it’s not cheap. The median home price is about $385,000, up 10% from last year, and rent is about $1195 per month.
The 2020 census sets the population of Mecklenburg County as 1,115,482, up from 919,628 in 2010, but the metropolitan statistical area includes nine counties and is the nation’s 21st largest, with a population of about 2.8 million. About half of residents are female, about 1 in 3 is Black and about 14% are Latino. They are also relatively youthful: About 88.5% are younger than 65. Some 45.8% have at least a bachelor’s degree.
They are commuters – most travel 26 miles per day to work, despite the presence of a highly developed light rail system – and they are comparatively prosperous. The median household income is $69,240, which is about 23% higher than all of North Carolina. The per-capita income is $40,627, about 27% above the state’s $31,993. The 11% poverty level is nearly 2% below the state’s average.
Charlotte and Mecklenburg County decades ago became a hub of banking and remain so despite consolidation. Bank of America and Truist call Mecklenburg County home and employ nearly 20,000. Wells Fargo, Brighthouse Financial and Lending Tree are part of the same economic segment. Duke Energy, Lowes, Nucor, Sonic Automotive and CommScope Holding are Fortune 500 companies based in the county.
You can add major employment presences from Atrium Health, Novant Health and Passport, and Amazon uses the area as a distribution hub. Census data estimate total payroll at $43 billion.
That light rail system has been important to economic, commercial and residential development. The LYNX Blue line covers 19 miles from I-485 in the south to UNC Charlotte’s main campus in the north, with some 26 stops in between. The trains are used by residents at both ends to get to the high-powered entertainment activities and employers in Uptown Charlotte, which is roughly in the center.