AreaProfile

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

Metro Area Profile

2,768,407 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area.

72
Area Score
Top 24% of 99 published profiles

How we calculate this

How this area ranks
OpportunityTop 19% of 99 published metros77
GrowthTop 35% of 99 published metros60
Housing affordability62nd of 99 published metros78
ClimateTop 40% of 99 published metros72
Physical resilience54th of 99 published metros55
AccessTop 19% of 99 published metros98
Economic stabilityTop 29% of 99 published metros83
The quick read

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia ranks in the top 19% of published metro profiles for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.6% and median household income of $83,304.

Residential permitting has slowed: 19,537 units authorized over the past twelve months, 22% below the prior year.

A major airport is 9 miles away, giving the area unusually direct access to the national air network.

At a glance

Population
2,768,407
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$83,304
Top 14% nationally
Density
495/sq mi
5597.3 sq mi of land
Median age
37.9
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Metro area
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Nearest major airport
CLT
9 mi · Charlotte/Douglas Intl
Median home value
$356,400
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.6% is lower than 83% of the 99 measured US metros.

Employment fell 0.0% over the past year, to 1,431,898 employed residents.

40% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 89% of measured US metros.

Household income is higher than at least 86% of measured US metros.

MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Median household income ±$782$83,304Top 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$367$46,738Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate10.6%Bottom 21%2024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute28.5 minTop 14%2024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher39.9%Top 11%2024 ACS 5-Year
Employment1,431,898Top 23%June 2026
Employment change (3 years)0.3%Bottom 46%June 2026
Employment change (year over year)-0.0%Top 26%June 2026
Labor force1,485,851Top 23%June 2026
Labor force participation67.6%Top 8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage$68,900Top 32%2025 OEWS
Median annual wage$49,990Top 45%2025 OEWS
Metro employment1,358,370Top 20%2025 OEWS
Unemployment change (year over year)-0.4%Bottom 23%June 2026
Unemployment rate3.6%Bottom 17%June 2026
Unemployment rate
2021/062022/032022/122023/092024/062025/032026/012026/065.23.1
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.6% in June 2026.
Largest occupations — Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand40,540$38,850
Retail Salespersons35,150$33,580
Cashiers27,350$29,610
Fast Food and Counter Workers27,050$28,880
Registered Nurses27,010$90,620
Customer Service Representatives26,120$44,980

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Housing & affordability

How it’s calculated →

Median rent of $1,473 takes 21% of median household income, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened.

A median home costs 4.3 times median household income here, above the historic benchmark of about three times income.

Rent as a share of income
21.2%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
4.3×
median home value ÷ median income
Median gross rent
$1,473
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$356,400
2024 ACS 5-Year
MetricValueCompared with peersSource period
Home price to income4.28Top 22%2024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate65.9%Bottom 27%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±4161,165,208Top 2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent ±$12$1,473Top 10%2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$2,179$356,400Top 17%2024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income21.2%Top 18%2024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate7.6%Bottom 22%2024 ACS 5-Year

Both affordability measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with, so the comparison is like for like. They describe housing cost against local earnings and are not a cost-of-living index — transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not included, and a place can look affordable here and still be expensive to live in for reasons this does not capture.

Growth & development

How it’s calculated →
Development Momentum
60/ 100
Top 35% of 99 published city profiles
Permitting is decreasing, measured from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 8% since 2020, reaching 2,883,370 in 2024.

At 7.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metros.

Units permitted
20K
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
7.2
Top 19% nationally
Year over year
−22%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
31.7%
units in 5+ unit buildings
Population, annual estimates
202020212022202320242883k2668k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 90°F and January a low of 32°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 43.6 inches, including 3.5 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS AP, 9.8 miles from this location.
Precipitation
JFMAMJJASOND4.3"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation43.6"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall3.5"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low32°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high90°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing38°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. They describe what a typical year looks like rather than what the weather is doing today.

Physical risk

55 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and ice storm.

Ice stormModerate
Inland floodingModerate
LightningModerate
EarthquakeModerate
HurricaneModerate
LandslideModerate

Low or minimal exposure: tornado, strong wind, cold wave, heat wave, hail, winter weather, wildfire, drought.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Taxes

AreaProfile does not yet publish tax comparisons. No tax dataset has met the source admission test for coverage, methodology transparency and update cadence, and the product rule is to omit a dimension rather than estimate it. The Area Score is calculated without a tax component and the weighting is documented on the methodology page.

Nothing on AreaProfile is individualized tax advice.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest 9 miles away.

AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Charlotte/Douglas IntlCLT9 mi10,000 ft
Piedmont Triad IntlGSO81 mi10,001 ft
Columbia MetroCAE87 mi8,601 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
72
Your Score

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource periodUpdated
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle28-day NASR cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)Periodic dataset versions (v1.20.0 current)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 NormalsEvery ten years (next release follows the 2001–2030 period)
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
June 2026Monthly
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWSAnnual (spring release)
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimateAnnual (vintage released each spring)
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026Monthly, roughly three weeks after the reference month
Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-YearAnnual (5-year estimates released each December)

Profile recalculated August 29, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology or browse every source.

Cities in this metro