Charlotte area population statistics

[CLT2014]

12 minutes ago, Richhamleigh, DC said:

 

The Census Bureau compensated MYR by making it a CSA.  How, I have no idea but it basically keeps the population where it was before Brunswick was rightly returned to ILM.   

Also interesting is how the Census Bureau in Table 8 uses the CSA population first DFW, HOU, ATL, TPA, etc. use the CSA populations.  If they had done the same for CLT, MCO, and RDU for example, that Table would be very different.

Table 8 is metro area populations only. Atlanta has a MSA population of 6.3 million (reflected in Table 8), but a CSA population of 7.2 million in 2023 for example. 

The largest numerical growth for CSAs were:
DFW: +163,266
Houston: +142,254
Orlando: +107,035
Atlanta: +83,570
Miami: +61,993
Charlotte: +55,017
Phoenix: +49,321
San Antonio: +48,434
Washington-Baltimore: +45,946
Raleigh-Durham: +39,865
-- Note, Tampa and Austin do not have a CSA, but their metros compared against the CSAs would have been #7 and #8

Edited March 15 by CLT2014

[Richhamleigh, DC]

41 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

Table 8 is metro area populations only. Atlanta has a MSA population of 6.3 million (reflected in Table 8), but a CSA population of 7.2 million in 2023 for example. 

The largest numerical growth for CSAs were:
DFW: +163,266
Houston: +142,254
Orlando: +107,035
Atlanta: +83,570
Miami: +61,993
Charlotte: +55,017
Phoenix: +49,321
San Antonio: +48,434
Washington-Baltimore: +45,946
Raleigh-Durham: +39,865
-- Note, Tampa and Austin do not have a CSA, but their metros compared against the CSAs would have been #7 and #8

Indeed, CLT2014 -- I was seeing MSA but the metros are comprised of "metro divisions" not unique MSAs.  Which makes the separation of Raleigh and Durham even less logical. 

Edited March 15 by Richhamleigh, DC

[KJHburg]

here is a side by side comparison of Wake and Mecklenburg counties from US Census.  Wake grew faster since 2020 and when did Mecklenburg grow at a faster rate? I must be missing something.  

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Wake County, North Carolina

[CLT2014]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

here is a side by side comparison of Wake and Mecklenburg counties from US Census.  Wake grew faster since 2020 and when did Mecklenburg grow at a faster rate? I must be missing something.  

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Wake County, North Carolina

The year over year change for Wake and Meck from the 2022 to 2023 estimate were roughly the same for each county. 

+1.64% YoY for Wake and +1.69% for Meck.

Wake grew faster from 2020 - 2023 though because they didn't slow down as much during COVID. The thing to watch is if that starts to change as we enter the middle portion of the decade in a post Covid world (lots was going on 2020 - 2022) and the two go back to having similar growth rates. This most recent estimate shows Meck starting to grow similar to Wake again after a slowdown during COVID.

 

Edited March 16 by CLT2014

[rancenc]

Booming downtowns throughout the country and Charlotte is #2

https://247wallst.com/population-and-social-characteristics/2024/03/15/us-cities-with-booming-downtowns/

[Temeteron]

44 minutes ago, rancenc said:

Booming downtowns throughout the country and Charlotte is #2

https://247wallst.com/population-and-social-characteristics/2024/03/15/us-cities-with-booming-downtowns/

More than half of these are total BS.  I’ve been to downtown Salem OR and Sacramento among many others and they are all dead lol

[DownEast]

22 hours ago, Richhamleigh, DC said:

 

The Census Bureau compensated MYR by making it a CSA.  How, I have no idea but it basically keeps the population where it was before Brunswick was rightly returned to ILM.   

Also interesting is how the Census Bureau in Table 8 uses the CSA population first DFW, HOU, ATL, TPA, etc. use the CSA populations.  If they had done the same for CLT, MCO, and RDU for example, that Table would be very different.

The Myrtle Beach CSA was Horry, Brunswick and Georgetown counties before NC regained Brunswick. The MSA was just Horry and Brunswick. So now the CSA is Horry and Georgetown and the MSA is only Horry. The numbers match up as such.  The CSA goes back to at least the 1990 census.

[kermit]

21 hours ago, Temeteron said:

More than half of these are total BS.  I’ve been to downtown Salem OR and Sacramento among many others and they are all dead lol

Yea, while the numbers are correct(ish) but largely meaningless. This is a classic example of small-base growth measurement error.

[it only takes one new apartment complex to create huge % change figures in downtowns that were sparsely populated 12 years ago. In addition, the ACS data they are using has pretty shocking standard errors at this scale.]

Edited March 17 by kermit

[DCMetroRaleigh]

Dang, Horry County is massive by East Coast standards. Over 1,200 square miles!

[Hornets]

On 3/16/2024 at 12:27 PM, rancenc said:

Booming downtowns throughout the country and Charlotte is #2

https://247wallst.com/population-and-social-characteristics/2024/03/15/us-cities-with-booming-downtowns/

I dunno who came up with this list, but..... bless your heart.  I'll leave it right there!

 

[scraperguy]

On 3/14/2024 at 6:30 PM, QCxpat said:

According to data released earlier today by the U.S. Census Bureau, Charlotte saw the 6th largest pop. gain of any American metro area (MSA) between 2022 - 2023.

Table 8  -   Top 10 U.S. Metro Areas in Annual Numeric Growth:
                       July 1, 2022  to  July 1, 2023

Rank	Metro Area	April 1, 2020 (Estimates Base)	July 1, 2022	July 1, 2023	Numeric Growth
1	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	7,637,398	7,947,439	8,100,037	152,598
2	Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	7,149,604	7,370,464	7,510,253	139,789
3	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	6,106,847	6,238,676	6,307,261	68,585
4	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	2,673,391	2,763,017	2,817,933	54,916
5	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	3,175,291	3,291,341	3,342,963	51,622
6	Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC	2,660,348	2,754,657	2,805,115	50,458
7	Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	2,283,379	2,423,170	2,473,275	50,105
8	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	4,851,102	5,020,870	5,070,110	49,240
9	San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX	2,558,115	2,655,928	2,703,999	48,071
10	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	6,138,356	6,139,812	6,183,199	43,387

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2023 Population Estimates.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Comparison of Charlotte / Raleigh / and Nashville MSAs and CSAs as of 7/1/2023

Charlotte MSA         2,805,115                            Charlotte CSA          3,387,115

Raleigh MSA              1,509,231                            Raleigh CSA               2,368,947   

Nashville MSA          2,102,573                             Nashville CSA          2,350,738    

Links:  

https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/population-estimates-more-counties-population-gains-2023.html

https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html

Austin and Charlotte consecutively in the top ten. Why are developers choosing Nashville to place their multiple tower with multiple retail developments? It's puzzling.

Edited March 21 by scraperguy

[KJHburg]

Axios did a short story about population growth with a great map.

From Axios:

""The Charlotte area is among the fastest-growing metros in the U.S.

Why it matters: People moving here signals the area is economically healthy and desirable. But it also adds urgency to supply housing and improve infrastructure.

By the numbers: Mecklenburg County has grown 4.1% since 2020 to 1.16 million residents, census data show.

Zoom out: North Carolina's population is growing most significantly along the coast, the mountains and in the Piedmont, home to most of its largest cities.

The fastest-growing county in the state continues to be Brunswick, home to towns like Ocean Isle Beach and Oak Island. The county grew by 15.8% to 160,000 people since 2020.
Wake County has grown 5.3% since 2020 to 1.2 million residents.
Yes, but: The rural northeastern part of the state has shed population, with Hertford County's population falling 9% to 19,450 from 2020.""

My thoughts:  Notice the suburban county growth around Raleigh in almost every direction and Charlotte's fastest growth is in 4 suburban counties.  

Little Tyrrell County in far eastern NC on what is called the NC Inner Banks grew finally.  Now it is the  least populated counties in the state so a few people moving in or out can make a difference.  

[Professor]

On 3/21/2024 at 8:20 AM, scraperguy said:

Austin and Charlotte consecutively in the top ten. Why are developers choosing Nashville to place their multiple tower with multiple retail developments? It's puzzling.

There are consecutively just one or two cities in the U.S. larger than Charlotte (population wise) that are growing as quickly, i.e.  Dallas or Houston.  Developers sometimes want to present uniqueness. Why would they pick Charlotte over Nashville?  Maybe developers feel the tower and retail development fit in with the river running through Nashville.  Charlotte only has a creek to offer, and it isn't that central. 

[nakers2]

On 3/28/2024 at 11:53 AM, Professor said:

There are consecutively just one or two cities in the U.S. larger than Charlotte (population wise) that are growing as quickly, i.e.  Dallas or Houston.  Developers sometimes want to present uniqueness. Why would they pick Charlotte over Nashville?  Maybe developers feel the tower and retail development fit in with the river running through Nashville.  Charlotte only has a creek to offer, and it isn't that central. 

Kind of a cynical take. Nashville is a tourist mecca versus Charlotte. With that being said, Charlotte is/will eventually become a place people visit just because its a city they haven't been to, it's a place they've heard of (thanks to growth lists like we see year over year) and us talking negatively about our own city in a non-constructive way doesn't make outsiders want to visit. 

[KJHburg]

On 3/30/2024 at 8:13 PM, nakers2 said:

Kind of a cynical take. Nashville is a tourist mecca versus Charlotte. With that being said, Charlotte is/will eventually become a place people visit just because its a city they haven't been to, it's a place they've heard of (thanks to growth lists like we see year over year) and us talking negatively about our own city in a non-constructive way doesn't make outsiders want to visit. 

Amen!  When I travel in the Carolinas or even down to Savannah I see the Charlotte's gotta lot tv commercials and we do have a lot to offer.  Sometimes people living here only see the bad and that is why I travel because it makes me appreciate what we do have here.  

[Third Strike]

Found this on Reddit. Had no idea Raleigh and Charlotte were near the top in the amount of dense development being built. Honestly, the entire South is crushing it. 

 

[KJHburg]

this is a nice tidy chart to look at population growth in the Charlotte metro compared to other metros in the country.

Breaking Down the Latest Census Data | United States | Cushman & Wakefield (cushmanwakefield.com)

Charlotte metro is #7 fastest growing in percentage terms and #9 in nominal terms. 

Jax, Duval, Jacksonville, whatever you call it is the fastest-growing large metro besting long-time leader Austin. (in percentage terms of course)

[KJHburg]

some interesting information here and comparisons between other metro areas.

Who’s moving here | A closer look at population trends in the Charlotte Region

Pop and Demographics (canva.com)

[Argo]

On 3/21/2024 at 7:20 AM, scraperguy said:

Austin and Charlotte consecutively in the top ten. Why are developers choosing Nashville to place their multiple tower with multiple retail developments? It's puzzling.

Just read that Oracle is exiting Austin and setting up their global world headquarters in Nashville. It looks like Nashville has become the powerhouse of the three.

Edited April 28 by Argo

[KJHburg]

2 hours ago, Argo said:

Just read that Oracle is exiting Austin and setting up their global world headquarters in Nashville. It looks like Nashville has become the powerhouse of the three.

they are going in the future designate Nashville as their HQ but they are not abandoning Austin where they have 2500 employees and still hiring and building there.  

[CLT2014]

Oracle has been shifting their paper headquarters around for a while now to get incentives. For multi-national companies... there can be an over emphasis on the "paper HQ" that they can move around to get expansions funded from states willing to throw money at them.

For Oracle's "move" to Austin for example... the original San Francisco Bay Area HQ was not abandoned and remains significantly larger in size as the defacto HQ. They employ about 10,000 more people still in the Bay Area than they ever did in Austin and it will remain a larger location than Nashville too. 

The Austin "HQ on paper" was all about incentives. The rich executives didn't move there. The C-Suite was not like "wow I want to give up my life in the SF Bay Area to move to Austin." All the important people are still based in Redwood City. Larry Ellison, CEO Safra Catz, CIO Jae Evans, et... I don't know if any C-Suite or EVPs at Oracle are even based in Austin. 

I suspect the same will happen with Nashville. The execs will stay in CA, but they'll use the paper HQ to get some incentives for the Nashville campus and win some new business from the major health care companies in the Nashville area. 

Edited April 29 by CLT2014

[Rufus]

Not to mention that their reasoning was to be close to the "healthcare" industry, which means HCA, which is headquartered in Nashville. And, again, this is the second "HQ" move in four years for them. 

[JacksonH]

This may not be the right thread for this because it's about more than just Charlotte, but I found this interesting.  Here's a graphic showing states with at least one city with a population above 250,000.  There are five such cities in North Carolina but only ONE in Georgia, yet both states have a similar population, around 11 million.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-states-by-number-of-cities-over-250000-residents/

Edited May 13 by JacksonH

[Richhamleigh, DC]

On 10/7/2023 at 5:07 PM, KJHburg said:

SouthPark community partners and their website promoting this part of the city.

SouthPark Community Partners | SouthPark Charlotte, NC (southparkclt.org)

and a clear map of where the Southpark loop is located and or planned. 

The Loop | Do Business | SouthPark Charlotte (southparkclt.org)

I will walk this soon to preview its route.  

 

On 5/10/2024 at 3:55 PM, dmccall said:

I'm not sure if I'm drawn to this idea because I want to be a baseball fan or because it is simply a new idea. Beth Yerxa just posted on Facebook that she had run across a VHS tape of the Jaume Plensa City Plaza plan, and it was dated 2006. It got me thinking about how many new, creative ideas were flying around Raleigh during that era. These days I feel like innovative ideas are few and far between. Am I misinterpreting things?

 

6 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

This may not be the right thread for this because it's about more than just Charlotte, but I found this interesting.  Here's a graphic showing states with at least one city with a population above 250,000.  There are five such cities in North Carolina but only ONE in Atlanta, yet both states have a similar population, around 11 million.

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-u-s-states-by-number-of-cities-over-250000-residents/

NC also 10 cities over 100K vs GA with 8.  All NC cities over 100k are growing, only 4 are growing GA.

Edited May 13 by Richhamleigh, DC

[kermit]

14 minutes ago, JacksonH said:

  Here's a graphic showing states with at least one city with a population above 250,000.  There are five such cities in North Carolina but only ONE in Atlanta, yet both states have a similar population, around 11 million.

This is entirely a quirk of state laws on municipal annexation.

Annexation was super easy in NC until about 2010 (I can’t remember the specific date, I may be off by a couple years) so Raleigh, Charlotte, etc could grow (and add tax base) rapidly without the permission of the people being annexed. 

Municipal boundaries in Georgia are much harder to change, and many of them have circular boundaries which reflect their original charter. Basically city size in Georgia has been written in stone.

This has important fiscal implications. Charlotte was able to go without a property tax increase for 20+ years from the early 1990s thanks to new revenue being brought in by annexation. That revenue stream has now been shut off, which reduces the fiscal stability of our cities. 

This legal difference also explains why Charlotte is actually double the size of Atlanta (in terms of municipal populations).