Official Federal Data
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
FIPS 37119 · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Population 1,154,681
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$87,005 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.9% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$186.1B ▲
GDP
49.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$87,005 ▲
Per Capita
$53,295 ▲
Mean Household
$128,782 ▲
Poverty Rate
10.4% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Mecklenburg County$87,005
North Carolina$72,388
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 22.8%
18-34 · 26.4%
35-54 · 27.8%
55-64 · 11%
65+ · 11.9%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
90.8%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.2 pts
49.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +13.5 pts
17.9%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +3.8 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
1,154,681
Population
662,428
Labor Force
Employed
632,115
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.9% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
28.5%
Key Takeaways
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 13.5 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Finance and Insurance employs 89,877 workers (15.3% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $173,985.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $186.1B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $173,985 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $32,838, a 5.3x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Finance & Insurance Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
71,320
Cluster Employment
4.45x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Air Transportation
5.22x 15,171
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities
4.45x 57,932
Telecommunications
2.86x 8,620
Securities, Commodity Contracts, Investments
2.39x 13,388
Management of Companies and Enterprises
2.17x 28,784
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1.65x 2,829
Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related
1.62x 4,751
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
1.51x 26,068
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
1.51x 3,412
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.06x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
491 employed
0.09x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
180 employed
0.15x
Apparel Manufacturing
60 employed
0.19x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
969 employed
0.22x
Primary Metal Manufacturing
411 employed
0.29x
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
635 employed
0.31x
Hospitals
8,682 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Air Transportation concentrates at 5.22x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$406,800 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,627 ▲
Rent/Mo
55.1% ▼
Owner-Occ
7.3% ▼
Vacancy
4.7x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,469/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,538/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,686/mo
3 Bedroom
$2,076/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,637/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$2,175/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.7x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 4 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$2,175/mo).
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
753,043 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 1 min below national avg
25.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
28.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
85.5%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
49.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
90.8% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
47,592/yr
10,279/yr
9,997/yr
8,666/yr
6,984/yr
6,278/yr
5,388/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
16.9%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
48.8%
Service
13%
Sales & Office
19.9%
Construction / Maint.
6.8%
Production / Transport
11.4%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 632,115 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 28,942 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Mecklenburg County shows strong potential for air transportation attraction, with a 5.22x concentration and 15,171 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across air transportation, credit intermediation and related activities, and telecommunications creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?
1,154,681 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?
$87,005 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?
3.9% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?
$186.1B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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