A recent examination of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance revealed a daily influx of people to the local region, surpassing the Raleigh area, yet trailing behind other peer markets in the South. In its latest study regarding the bureau’s recently disclosed population estimates, the CLT Alliance discovered that between July 2021 and July 2022, 113 individuals relocated to the Charlotte region each day. This number, equivalent to roughly twice the Carolina Panthers’ regular-season roster, was calculated by summing net migration figures for the region’s counties during the span of a year, reaching 41,163, and dividing it by the 365 days in a year. This figure reflects an increase from the average of 83 people daily in 2021 and 91 people in the pre-pandemic year 2019. Notably, Union County is now excluded from the CLT Alliance’s geographical scope. The designated Charlotte region encompasses 10 North Carolina counties and four South Carolina counties, including Mecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell, Cabarrus, Rowan, Stanly, Lincoln, Catawba, Alexander, and Cleveland (N.C.); as well as York, Lancaster, Chester, and Chesterfield (S.C.). The CLT Alliance, advocating for local business and economic development, highlighted that the region experienced its highest surge in net migration since 2008. The findings were compiled by the non-profit’s research team.

Comparatively, the analysis revealed that the Charlotte region’s daily migration of 113 individuals exceeded that of Greenville-Anderson, South Carolina — 50; Raleigh-Cary — 70; Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tennessee — 82; and Jacksonville, Florida — 91, all of which have smaller populations than the Charlotte metro. Metros included in the CLT Alliance’s study that experienced a higher daily migration number included Austin, Texas — 130; Atlanta — 163; Tampa, Florida — 185; Houston — 233; and Dallas — 351. The CLT Alliance emphasized that larger metros like Jacksonville, Austin, and Tampa may experience a more significant population impact due to their size in relation to daily movers. Additionally, CBJ’s calculation of net migration to the Triangle region’s 13 counties indicated an average of about 100 people moving there daily from 2021 to 2022.

Isolated data showed approximately 34 individuals moving to Mecklenburg County each day within the same time frame, placing it second in North Carolina after Wake County, which saw around 45 daily movers. As expected, New York City — a major banking hub that witnessed a substantial pandemic-related exodus — emerged as a significant source of new residents, contributing an annual average of 6,500 people from the Big Apple to the Charlotte region over a five-year period ending in 2020. Miami and Winston-Salem followed with 1,700 people per year. The majority of these migrating metros were concentrated on the East Coast, though Los Angeles and San Diego saw 800 and 700 people, respectively, moving to the Charlotte region each year.

The CLT Alliance emphasized the significance of tracking such statistics for both marketing the region globally as a relocation or expansion destination for businesses and underscoring the necessity of investing in infrastructure amidst Charlotte’s ongoing growth. Charlotte observed an increase of more than 15,000 people from 2021 to 2022, ranking fifth in numeric growth among the nation’s largest cities. As of July 2022, census estimates placed the Queen City’s population at 897,720. The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metropolitan statistical area, as a whole, recorded an estimated population of nearly 2.77 million in July 2022. The Charlotte metro’s boundaries encompass Union County, along with Mecklenburg, Gaston, Iredell, Cabarrus, Rowan, Lincoln, Anson, York, Lancaster, and Chester counties.