The Charlotte Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) reported a population growth rate of 1.8% in 2018, according to the U.S. Census Bureau population estimates program. This growth rate places Charlotte in fourth place among a list of thirteen peer metros, behind only Dallas (1.8%), Raleigh (1.9%), and Austin (2.5%). These peer metros are selected based on…

Federal funding is available to aid municipalities in planning local economic development projects. Conducting a feasibility study is often a necessary step for projects, but requires a level of expertise difficult to obtain for communities that cannot afford top dollar consulting firms. The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) provides a focused grant opportunity to help…

The population of young professionals aged 25-44 grew by 56,000 people over the last 10 years in the Centralina region, reaching a total of 625,000, a 10% increase. Within the region, Mecklenburg County attracted the vast majority of new young professionals over 10 years (53,000 net new people), followed by Cabarras County (6,400) and Iredell…

The largest influx of money came from out of state: Cook County, Illinois and Suffolk County, New York brought roughly $27,000 in new income each. However, significant money left the Centralina region to York and Lancaster counties ($150M) in South Carolina’s portion of the Charlotte metro as well as retirement hotspots in Charleston, Brunswick and…