What the 2025 census tells us about Charlotte’s changing population
The Charlotte region continues to grow. It seems like everywhere you turn there are new housing developments, shopping centers and schools being built to support our population. Data from the 2025 census illustrates this phenomenon. The Queen City is becoming an increasingly popular destination for domestic and international migrants alike with Charlotte being named one of the top five metropolitan areas for growth between July 2024 and July 2025.
In fact, between 2020 and 2025, the 14-county Charlotte metropolitan region that includes Anson, Cabarrus, Catawba, Chester, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lancaster, Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Rowan, Stanly, Union, and York counties in North and South Carolina added 289,331 residents. This resulted in a total population of over three million people. Residents may have noticed the most significant growth in Iredell and Lincoln counties in North Carolina and Lancaster County in South Carolina.
So, what else does this new census information tell us about Charlotte’s growing population?
Key Takeaways:
- Charlotte is defying the national trend: Although countrywide growth has slowed, Charlotte’s population is still growing in stark comparison. Every county in the metro area showed positive growth except Anson County which remained unchanged.
- Charlotte was a top five metro area for growth in 2025: Charlotte came fifth after the Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Phoenix metro areas in terms of growth. Having previously been ranked eleventh, it’s clear that Charlotte is outpacing many of its peers. Mecklenburg County itself ranked seventh among all counties in the country.
- The region’s growth patterns differ from national trends: Most counties that grew between 2023 and 2024 saw either a slow down or decline in growth, with most metros seeing growth in outlying areas. The Charlotte region has defied this trend with growth being uniform across the entire metro.
- The Southeast remains a U.S. growth corridor: Nine of the top ten fastest growing counties in the country were in the South, concentrated along the Southeast coast.
- Declining international migration is an emerging headwind: Some of Charlotte’s growth can be attributed to international migration, which has seen a decline. Changing federal immigration policies could shift this trend for the region.
What about demographic trends?
Racial/Ethnic Composition
Mecklenburg County is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse large counties in the South. In 2024, people who identified as White made up 43.2% of Charlotte’s population, people who identified as Black made up 29.7% of the population, people who identified as Hispanic/Latino made up 16% of the population and people who identified as Asian made up roughly six percent of the population. The population of White and Black residents declined from 2019, while the population of Hispanic/Latino and Asian residents increased from 2019. Roughly one in six Mecklenburg County residents were born outside of the United States. Many immigrants that call Charlotte home hail from Mexico, India and Honduras.
Despite decreases, this is not a story of significant decline for White and Black populations. Growth among Hispanic and Asian populations is simply outpacing these groups, pointing to a larger shift in the region’s composition.
Age and family trends
Data also tell us that Mecklenburg County is getting older and that household types are diversifying.
The median age of residents of the Charlotte region in 2024 was 35.5, compared to 35.1 in 2019. The average household in the city had between two and three children (2.44) as compared to 2.58 in 2019. Additionally, 21% of households included one or more residents who were 65 years of age or older as compared to 20% in 2019.
The Charlotte region continues to attract people in their 20s and 30s, keeping the median age stable and making the Charlotte region one of the most popular parts of the country for young adults and young families. And, as the population of older residents increases, the data suggest more attention should be given to services for aging.
There were 467,000 households in Charlotte in 2024, up from 411,000 households in 2019. Most households were composed of a married couple (41.2%, down from 43.6% in 2019) but 33% of Charlotteans lived alone, which was nearly a two-percent increase from the 2019 figure. Approximately 32% of households were headed by a single mother, and 19.8% of households were headed by a single father. Seven percent of households were composed of cohabitating couples.
How about housing?
As the Charlotte region grows, housing supply is not keeping up with growth and housing prices are increasing. The median value of a home in the Charlotte region in 2024 was $407,000, a significant increase from 2019’s $238,000 median value. This has outpaced wage growth for most residents. Housing cost increases also impact renters, with rents increasing from $1,146 in 2019 to $1,627 in 2024.
The percentage of owner-occupied housing inventory that was vacant and for sale decreased from roughly one percent in 2019 to slightly less than that in 2024. This is indicative of a tight housing market rife with competition and high demand.
Cost-burdened residents
The most common measure of whether or not a household is cost-burdened is if a household spends more than 30% of its gross income on housing costs like rent, mortgage payments, utilities, insurance or taxes.
The percentage of owners that were cost-burdened stayed about the same, slightly shifting from 23.5% in 2019 to 23.4% in 2024. Conversely, the percentage of renters — who tend to be lower income — that were cost-burdened grew from 46.4% in 2019 to 49.4% in 2024.
For more information on housing cost-burden in Charlotte, check out this article, by Katie Zager at the Charlotte Urban Institute.
What does this mean?
- Charlotte’s growth is not slowing, but its character is changing. The numbers point to a shift in the region’s racial and ethnic makeup as well as differing household types becoming more prevalent.
- Housing supply has not kept pace. The significant decrease in available and affordable housing indicates a housing supply that cannot support the growing population. This cannot be remedied without deliberate intervention.
- International migration is the engine, and it’s vulnerable. International migration to Mecklenburg County dropped 41% in one year. Time will tell if this is temporary or a new trend, but planning for indefinite high volume migration is “planning on borrowed time.” Put simply, that’s planning for the future when anything could happen between now and then.
Charlotte’s growth continues to shape the region in ways that will require more intentional planning and policy decisions. How the region responds now, especially on housing, infrastructure and representation will determine whether that growth expands opportunity or deepens strain for the people who call Charlotte home.