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COUNTY

Mecklenburg County

North Carolina · 1,233,383 residents (2025 est.) · 524 sq mi
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Part of the Charlotte metro area
The short version

Mecklenburg County is home to 1,154,681 people in North Carolina. Since 2000 the county has risen by half, up 459,227 people. That puts it in the top 3% of US counties for household income. 49% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. Owners hold 55% of the housing stock. The median age is 35.5, younger than the US median of 38.9.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 35.5
US median: 38.9
More educated
49% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 61%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,154,681
+66%since 2000
from 695,454 in 2000
1,233,383 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,205 / sq mi
+34%since 2009
from 1,645 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
35.5
+7%since 2000
from 33.1 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
524 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
447K640K833K1.0M1.2M19902000201020202024Mecklenburg County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.4%(73,893)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(72,501)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.3%(72,627)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.4%(74,150)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.6%(76,536)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3417.2%(198,726)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4414.8%(170,777)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5413%(150,128)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411%(127,438)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.4%(84,888)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.4%(38,690)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.2%(14,327)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$87,005
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $50,579 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$53,295
+95%since 2000
from $27,352 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
56.5%
+20.8 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
10.4%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.492
+3%since 2010
from 0.477 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services14.1%
US avg: 6.7%
Public administration11.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Information10.2%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Wholesale trade7.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance7%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical6.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.2%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food2.1%
US avg: 1.9%
Education & health services0.8%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$406,800
+61%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $139,000 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,627
+29%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $693 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
55.1%
−7.2 ptssince 2000
from 62.3% in 2000
44.9% rent
Vacancy rate
7.3%
−2.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.44 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
20.2%
−7.2 ptssince 2009
from 27.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
47.3%
+3.9 ptssince 2009
from 43.4% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.7
+44%since 2009
from 3.2 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
80
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic61.1%(425,144)
Black27.7%(192,403)
Hispanic / Latino6.5%(44,871)
Asian3.1%(21,717)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic43.2%(498,847)
Black29.7%(343,410)
Hispanic / Latino16%(184,569)
Asian6.3%(72,816)
Other4.8%(55,039)
Diversity Score
87
+15%since 2009
from 75 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
47
−5%since 2020
from 50 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican5.4%(62,678)
Central American5.1%(59,392)
Honduran2.4%(28,208)
South American2.2%(25,700)
Salvadoran1.5%(16,840)
Puerto Rican1.1%(12,910)
Colombian0.8%(9,651)
Dominican0.8%(8,717)
Guatemalan0.7%(8,597)
Cuban0.6%(6,536)
Ecuadorian0.5%(6,158)
Venezuelan0.4%(5,043)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Nicaraguan0.2%(2,630)
Peruvian0.2%(2,546)
Panamanian0.2%(2,256)
Spaniard0.1%(1,535)
Argentine0.1%(946)
Costa Rican0.1%(747)
Chilean0.1%(654)
Uruguayan0%(431)
Bolivian0%(211)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.5%(29,157)
Vietnamese0.9%(10,439)
Chinese0.8%(9,258)
Korean0.3%(3,807)
Filipino0.3%(3,224)
Burmese0.3%(2,923)
Nepalese0.2%(2,204)
Cambodian0.2%(1,899)
Pakistani0.1%(1,652)
Hmong0.1%(1,505)
Laotian0.1%(1,024)
Japanese0.1%(1,011)
+ 9 more asian origin groups with data
Kazakh0.1%(672)
Thai0.1%(602)
Taiwanese0%(436)
Indonesian0%(205)
Uzbek0%(197)
Sri Lankan0%(175)
Bhutanese0%(94)
Malaysian0%(57)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(511)
Chamorro0%(217)
Fijian0%(32)
Guamanian0%(28)
Ancestry
English9.3%(107,757)
German8.5%(97,680)
Irish7.6%(87,695)
American4.7%(54,351)
Italian4.1%(47,180)
Subsaharan African3.1%(35,413)
Scottish1.9%(21,421)
Polish1.7%(19,812)
Scotch-Irish1.6%(18,181)
French1.3%(15,125)
West Indian0.9%(10,549)
Arab0.7%(8,013)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Russian0.6%(7,368)
Swedish0.5%(5,872)
Dutch0.5%(5,731)
Greek0.5%(5,431)
Welsh0.4%(4,986)
British0.4%(4,947)
Norwegian0.4%(4,712)
Jamaican0.4%(4,603)
Ukrainian0.4%(4,440)
Nigerian0.4%(4,358)
Hungarian0.3%(3,628)
French Canadian0.3%(3,611)
Ethiopian0.3%(3,458)
Lebanese0.3%(3,411)
Brazilian0.2%(2,620)
Portuguese0.2%(2,570)
Czech0.2%(2,466)
Romanian0.2%(2,315)
Haitian0.2%(2,241)
Swiss0.2%(1,785)
Austrian0.2%(1,735)
Slovak0.1%(1,716)
Danish0.1%(1,558)
Lithuanian0.1%(1,494)
Iranian0.1%(1,394)
Canadian0.1%(1,393)
Somali0.1%(1,013)
Finnish0.1%(1,005)
Moroccan0.1%(984)
Turkish0.1%(890)
Ghanaian0.1%(851)
Egyptian0.1%(801)
Guyanese0.1%(731)
Kenyan0%(523)
Croatian0%(505)
Armenian0%(499)
Belgian0%(479)
Syrian0%(463)
Slovene0%(434)
Serbian0%(393)
Barbadian0%(357)
Bulgarian0%(334)
Iraqi0%(330)
Jordanian0%(320)
Australian0%(264)
Israeli0%(252)
Latvian0%(222)
Macedonian0%(213)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
49.2%
+12.1 ptssince 2000
from 37.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
90.8%
+4.5 ptssince 2000
from 86.2% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
17.9%
+7.4 ptssince 2000
from 10.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
25.1 min
+49%since 2000
from 16.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
58.6%
−18.6 ptssince 2009
from 77.2% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
8.1%
−4.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
1.7%
−1.4 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
28.5%
+23.8 ptssince 2009
from 4.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
1.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
5.8%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.3%
−5.2 ptssince 2011
from 9.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
72.0%
−0.7 ptssince 2011
from 72.7% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
79.2%
+2.3 ptssince 2020
from 76.9% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
8.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
48.8%
+8.2 ptssince 2009
from 40.7% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.3%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
51.7%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
17.3%
+4.8 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.0%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
8.9%
+0.7 ptssince 2012
from 8.2% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
11.5%
−5.5 ptssince 2013
from 17.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
94.1%
+9.9 ptssince 2017
from 84.2% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
97.3%
+2.0 ptssince 2020
from 95.3% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
84.5%
+1.4 ptssince 2020
from 83.1% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
77.7%
−3.2 ptssince 2016
from 80.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
13.3%
+2.5 ptssince 2016
from 10.9% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married42.3%(188,699)
Married48.7%(217,378)
Widowed1.7%(7,603)
Divorced7.3%(32,746)
Women 15+
Never married38.4%(187,964)
Married43.7%(213,888)
Widowed6%(29,564)
Divorced11.8%(57,818)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
11.5%
−5.5 ptssince 2013
from 17.0% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
57.7%
−0.3 ptssince 2020
from 58.0% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
13.6%
−0.6 ptssince 2020
from 14.2% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
12.6%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 12.1% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
15.2%
+0.3 ptssince 2020
from 14.9% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.6%
−0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.8% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
69.8%
−1.0 ptssince 2020
from 70.8% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
26.6%
+0.9 ptssince 2020
from 25.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)29.4%(13,210)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)25.1%(11,281)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era26.8%(12,030)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.3%(1,503)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.6%(285)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 44,881 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
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Head to head

Compare Mecklenburg County to nearby counties

MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
Cabarrus County
Income$89,005+2%
Home value$354,800−13%
Population249,725−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
Gaston County
Income$67,478−22%
Home value$266,000−35%
Population246,558−80%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
Union County
Income$102,900+18%
Home value$417,300+3%
Population267,674−78%
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MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
York County
Income$89,095+2%
Home value$361,300−11%
Population306,887−75%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has about 1,154,681 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

The typical household in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina earns about $87,005 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Mecklenburg County, North Carolina expensive?

In Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, the median home is worth about $406,800, and the typical rent is about $1,627 a month.

How educated are people in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

About 49.2% of adults age 25 and over in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

About 10.4% of people in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina live below the federal poverty line.

Has Mecklenburg County, North Carolina grown since 1990?

Yes, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has grown since 1990. The population has added about 643,248 residents, a change of about 126 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →