The Charlotte Regional Data Trust presents the 2025 State of Our Data Report
We are pleased to release the second annual State of Our Data report! The report provides the Charlotte Regional Data Trust Board of Directors, as well as our communities, partners and stakeholders with an annual update and summary of our community data ecosystem. The report also dives into the data we hold in trust and why it matters, and the work we do at the Charlotte Urban Institute and Regional Data Trust.
We use this annual information to inform representation on the Board and its committees, to guide our communication and dissemination strategies, and to helpus monitor the extent of data coverage across key quality of life domains and across our region. The report provides a public record of how our community data ecosystem grows and evolves to better meet the needs of our communities. And finally, it helps tell the story of the Data Trust, who is represented in the data, and how people are linked across the organizations that serve them.
Since 2016, over a million (1,079,074) unique individuals’ administrative data have been reflected in the Data Trust, and we know that every data partner serves people who are also served by other partners. There is much to discover from using this data.
Figure 1. Every data partner serves people who are also served by other partners
This year’s report highlights data and accomplishments from the 2024 calendar year at the Institute and Data Trust. It includes the following key findings:
- We added four data partners to the analyses in the report: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, City of Charlotte Housing and Neighborhood Services – House Charlotte, Housing Collaborative, and INLIVIAN.
- The number of unique people represented in the Data Trust grew by 11.7% compared to last year’s report (370,434 to 411,814 ), representing 34.1% of Mecklenburg County’s residents. The data partners listed above contributed to this growth.
- Ten more partners joined the Data Trust by either signing or re-signing agreements. This includes both completely new partners and partners who were involved previously and have re-engaged. Seven of those partners do work related related to housing, allowing us to provide more comprehensive data about housing and homelessness in our community
- Of people represented in the Data Trust, 23.3% overlap with 2 or more agencies (a 1% increase from last year).
- The majority of people represented in the Data Trust identify as Black or African American (46.5%), which is about three percent less than the share of individuals who identified as Black or African American in last year’s report (49.6%).
- The Data Trust received six new requests, completed 11 projects, and started or continued 20 projects.
- People in the Data Trust represent nearly every neighborhood in Mecklenburg County, with the lowest numbers in the south, south east, and north parts of the county.
Figure 2: People in the Data Trust are represented in nearly every Neighborhood Profile Area
It was a busy year! We look forward to working with you and asking more questions to explore well-being in our community in the year ahead. We are grateful to all the people who make this work possible.
Interested in becoming a data partner or requesting data? Email DataTrust@charlotte.edu.