Demographics

The following is an excerpt from Chuck McShane’s new book, A History of Lake Norman: Fish Camps to Ferraris, published by the History Press. “Lake Norman may seem as fixed a part of the hillsides that enfold it,” began the Charlotte Observer editorial on Oct.1, 1977. “But it is a baby, scarcely older than a […]

Recently the site FiveThirtyEight.com reported that of the largest U.S. metros, only Charlotte’s median income, “experienced a statistically significant decline” in 2013. What’s going on? That statement may signal to the casual reader that wages are sinking in the Charlotte region. In reality, however, that “statistically significant decline” appears to be the result of a […]

City population projections produced by the United Nations show Charlotte and Raleigh as growing the fastest among large U.S. cities from 2010 to 2030. The United Nations produces population estimates and projections for cities from Shanghai to Johannesburg – including cities in the U.S. The U.N. uses areas it calls “urban agglomerations,*” which measure the […]

One hundred years ago, when North Carolina had a population of about 2.5 million people, more than nine out of 10 residents were native Tar Heels. Today’s North Carolina, in contrast, approaches a population of 10 million, with more than 4 million residents born in another state or country. Population growth and change have had […]

Want to know which of the state’s public high schools have above-average SAT scores? A map of income is a good place to start. Nationally, average SAT scores have bumped along in a narrow range since the late 1980s. (Read more.) A similar pattern is evident in North Carolina’s state-level scores over time. Comparing individual […]

In this new series, PlanCharlotte visits planners from around the 14-county Charlotte region. In this first installment, we head east to Albemarle. Much of the Charlotte region is fast-growing, but Albemarle’s population has remained flat. Keith Wolf has been with the city’s planning department since 2004 and planning director since 2011. He talked about economic […]

Does your business or nonprofit use housing data? Would you like to learn more about how to use local and national housing data more effectively? The second annual Charlotte Data Day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. June 17 at the UNC Charlotte Center City campus, 320 E. Ninth St. in Charlotte. This year’s event will […]

A new data resource about Gaston County is available through online, interactive dashboards. Trends on the county’s demographics, economy, education, health and quality of life are tracked and compared to peer counties as well as state and national figures. This represents a continuing partnership coordinated by Gaston Together and other local Gaston County groups with […]

North Carolina continues to grow faster than the U.S. average and faster than all but two other Southeastern states.* That growth is increasingly uneven and concentrated in the metro areas of Charlotte and Raleigh. The Carolinas have a long history of being a small-town and small-city region of the country. The latest census population estimates […]

On Feb. 27, the Charlotte Mayor’s Immigrant Integration Task Force met for the first time. Around the same time, Charlotte Chamber President Bob Morgan signed a letter by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Partnership for a New American Economy to House Speaker John Boehner, urging him to move immigration reform forward this year. […]