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COUNTY · 2020 ACS

Mecklenburg County

North Carolina · 1,115,482 residents · 524 sq mi
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Mecklenburg County is a county of 1,115,482 people in North Carolina. Since 2000 the county has risen by half, up 420,028 people. 46% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 33% nationally. The median age is 35.1, younger than the US median of 38.8. Owners hold 54% of the housing stock. Households here earn about 22% more than in North Carolina as a whole.

At a glance
Average income
near the US median
US median: $66,278
Younger
median age 35.1
US median: 38.8
More educated
46% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Stable housing
home values roughly flat, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
1,115,482
+60%since 2000
from 695,454 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Median age
35.1
+6%since 2000
from 33.1 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
524 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
447K640K833K1.0M1.2M19902000201020202024Mecklenburg County
20241.2M
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 56.1%(67,943)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.3%(69,794)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.7%(74,292)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.6%(73,412)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.1%(79,631)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3417.1%(190,523)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4414.5%(161,471)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5413%(145,074)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6410.9%(122,079)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 747.3%(81,142)
US avg: 10%
75 to 843.3%(36,517)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over1.2%(13,604)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$69,240
−9%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $50,579 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$40,627
+49%since 2000
from $27,352 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
46.5%
+10.8 ptssince 2009
from 35.8% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
10.9%
+1.7 ptssince 2000
from 9.2% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Other services13.8%
US avg: 6.6%
Public administration11.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Information10.7%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade7.9%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade6.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Finance & insurance6%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical5%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing3.1%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food2.4%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.2%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$253,500
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $139,000 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,195
+15%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $693 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
54.4%
−7.9 ptssince 2000
from 62.3% in 2000
45.6% rent
Persons per household
2.56 people
+7%since 2009
from 2.40 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.7
+13%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.
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%
2020
White, non-Hispanic44.7%(498,683)
Black29.1%(324,832)
Hispanic / Latino15.2%(169,922)
Asian6.4%(71,583)
Other3.2%(35,686)
Segregation Score
50
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%(54,504)
Central American3.9%(42,396)
Honduran1.7%(18,527)
South American1.6%(17,932)
Salvadoran1.3%(14,197)
Puerto Rican1.1%(11,536)
Dominican0.8%(9,007)
Colombian0.6%(6,122)
Cuban0.6%(6,107)
Guatemalan0.5%(5,750)
Ecuadorian0.4%(4,566)
Peruvian0.3%(3,362)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0.2%(2,103)
Nicaraguan0.2%(1,883)
Panamanian0.1%(1,340)
Argentine0.1%(756)
Spaniard0.1%(738)
Costa Rican0.1%(681)
Uruguayan0%(429)
Chilean0%(340)
Bolivian0%(143)
Paraguayan0%(109)
Asian origin
Asian Indian2.6%(28,198)
Vietnamese0.8%(9,074)
Chinese0.7%(7,828)
Korean0.3%(3,354)
Nepalese0.3%(2,954)
Filipino0.2%(2,313)
Hmong0.1%(1,642)
Burmese0.1%(1,485)
Pakistani0.1%(1,451)
Cambodian0.1%(1,262)
Laotian0.1%(1,222)
Bhutanese0.1%(909)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Japanese0.1%(897)
Thai0%(501)
Indonesian0%(297)
Sri Lankan0%(174)
Taiwanese0%(173)
Malaysian0%(38)
Pacific Islander origin
Chamorro0%(253)
Samoan0%(103)
Tongan0%(51)
Ancestry
German9.1%(100,049)
English7.7%(84,823)
Irish7.6%(82,808)
American5.5%(59,770)
Italian4%(43,398)
Subsaharan African3.4%(37,103)
Scotch-Irish2.3%(24,952)
Scottish2%(21,944)
Polish2%(21,868)
French1.6%(16,982)
West Indian0.9%(10,245)
British0.7%(7,575)
+ 51 more ancestry groups with data
Dutch0.7%(7,546)
Russian0.6%(6,834)
Swedish0.6%(6,542)
Welsh0.5%(5,631)
Norwegian0.5%(5,471)
Jamaican0.4%(4,905)
Greek0.4%(4,636)
Ukrainian0.4%(4,025)
French Canadian0.3%(3,748)
Hungarian0.3%(3,656)
Lebanese0.3%(3,107)
Ethiopian0.3%(2,979)
Brazilian0.2%(2,435)
Czech0.2%(2,215)
Portuguese0.2%(2,176)
Arab0.2%(1,861)
Nigerian0.2%(1,814)
Romanian0.2%(1,800)
Danish0.2%(1,705)
Swiss0.2%(1,682)
Canadian0.1%(1,582)
Iranian0.1%(1,536)
Lithuanian0.1%(1,442)
Haitian0.1%(1,362)
Slovak0.1%(1,347)
Austrian0.1%(1,278)
Finnish0.1%(1,021)
Ghanaian0.1%(862)
Moroccan0.1%(861)
Guyanese0.1%(775)
Somali0.1%(756)
Egyptian0.1%(681)
Turkish0.1%(639)
Syrian0.1%(613)
Palestinian0.1%(607)
Croatian0%(546)
Serbian0%(494)
Belgian0%(480)
Australian0%(414)
Slovene0%(397)
Barbadian0%(374)
Armenian0%(306)
Jordanian0%(296)
Israeli0%(277)
Bulgarian0%(270)
Iraqi0%(227)
Macedonian0%(153)
Kenyan0%(135)
Latvian0%(122)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
45.8%
+8.7 ptssince 2000
from 37.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
90.5%
+4.3 ptssince 2000
from 86.2% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
15.6%
+5.2 ptssince 2000
from 10.5% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
26.2 min
+55%since 2000
from 16.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
73.3%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 77.2% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.6%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 6.3% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.7%
−4.8 ptssince 2011
from 9.5% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
71.0%
−1.7 ptssince 2011
from 72.7% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
76.9%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
45.4%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 40.7% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.1%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 49.0% in 2009
Female
51.9%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 51.0% in 2009
Foreign born
15.8%
+3.2 ptssince 2009
from 12.6% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
11.4%
−5.6 ptssince 2013
from 17.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
95.3%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
83.1%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
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
11.4%
−5.6 ptssince 2013
from 17.0% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
58.0%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
14.2%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
12.1%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
14.9%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
1.8%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
70.8%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
25.7%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)23.8%(11,613)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)24.7%(12,050)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era27.8%(13,577)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War5.6%(2,751)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.5%(1,235)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 48,790 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
Drill deeper

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Head to head

Compare Mecklenburg County to nearby counties

MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
Cabarrus County
Income$89,005+29%
Home value$354,800+40%
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SEE FULL COMPARISON →
MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
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Home value$266,000+5%
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MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
Union County
Income$102,900+49%
Home value$417,300+65%
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MECKLENBURG COUNTY VS
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Income$89,095+29%
Home value$361,300+43%
Population306,887−75%
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Frequently asked

How many people live in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

Mecklenburg County, North Carolina has about 1,115,482 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

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

The typical household in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina earns about $69,240 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 $253,500, and the typical rent is about $1,195 a month.

How educated are people in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?

About 45.8% 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 10.9% 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 604,049 residents, a change of about 118 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 →