Jobs, pay and daily life in Charlotte, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 08/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Charlotte is a city in North Carolina with 903,844 residents. The median household earns $82,068 a year and the median rent is $1,612 a month, which is 23.6% of the median household income. It is part of the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, where BLS counts 1,358,370 jobs.
How Charlotte compares. Among the 100 largest places in North Carolina, Charlotte is #1 by population, #9 for remote work (#1 = most), #77 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #72 for homeownership (#1 = highest). Its county, Mecklenburg County, is #2 of 100 counties for average pay ($88,111).
Charlotte has 903,844 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 8.4% of the population of North Carolina. It covers 312 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 2,901 people per square mile. The median age is 34.5, 12% younger than the state median (34.5 against 39.1).
The median gross rent is $1,612 a month (rent plus utilities), 31% above the state median ($1,612 against $1,228). Over a year that is 23.6% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $385,700, which is 4.7 times the median household income ($82,068). 51.0% of households own their home, 23% below the state average (51.0% against 66.6%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area has 1,358,370 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $49,990 a year, about the same as the national median ($49,990 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (146,340 jobs, median $47,210); transportation and material moving (142,580 jobs, median $40,550); sales and related (139,760 jobs, median $40,880). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (1.4 times) and business and financial operations (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($133,220) and computer and mathematical ($120,930). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Mecklenburg County was 3.3%. 72.4% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Mecklenburg County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 57.4% drive alone, 1.9% use public transit, 1.7% walk, 28.8% work from home. 10.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 24% below the state average (10.6% against 13.9%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
48.0% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 35% above the state share (48.0% against 35.6%). 18.7% of residents were born outside the United States, 106% above the state share (18.7% against 9.1%). The poverty rate is 11.7%, 10% below the state rate (11.7% against 13.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 81°F (27.1°C), and the coolest is Jan at 40°F (4.4°C). About 1,146 mm (45 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Jul is the wettest month (112 mm) and Jan the driest (80 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Pineville (9 miles, rent 4% lower); Matthews (9 miles, rent 9% higher); Mint Hill (10 miles, rent 5% lower); Stallings (12 miles, rent 17% higher). Rent differences are against Charlotte; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in North Carolina (495) →State guide: North CarolinaCountry guideMecklenburg CountyNorth Carolina rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 495 federal postings open in North Carolina (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in North Carolina →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 40,540 | 1.57 | $38,850 | $32,770 | $49,020 | -3% |
| Retail Salespersons | 35,150 | 1.03 | $33,580 | $24,080 | $46,730 | -5% |
| Cashiers | 27,350 | 1.01 | $29,610 | $23,600 | $36,040 | -10% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 27,050 | 0.80 | $28,880 | $22,850 | $37,010 | -7% |
| Registered Nurses | 27,010 | 0.91 | $90,620 | $69,680 | $110,020 | -7% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 26,120 | 1.15 | $44,980 | $31,500 | $62,640 | +0% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 23,250 | 0.94 | $37,440 | $30,090 | $47,490 | +0% |
| Software Developers | 20,820 | 1.41 | $135,920 | $93,690 | $172,360 | -0% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 19,990 | 1.01 | $36,430 | $18,100 | $74,440 | +3% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 18,700 | 1.04 | $56,120 | $44,240 | $77,490 | -4% |
| General and Operations Managers | 18,380 | 0.60 | $112,730 | $55,750 | $274,620 | +7% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 16,820 | 1.33 | $92,910 | $59,200 | $167,330 | +11% |
| Office Clerks, General | 16,390 | 0.76 | $44,010 | $28,410 | $62,990 | -2% |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 15,910 | 1.47 | $72,500 | $40,000 | $149,460 | +1% |
| Cooks, Fast Food | 15,830 | 2.83 | $27,690 | $22,430 | $35,720 | -10% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 14,430 | 1.17 | $37,030 | $29,210 | $45,980 | -1% |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 13,980 | 1.27 | $61,850 | $37,590 | $143,990 | -12% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 13,760 | 0.71 | $35,600 | $27,630 | $43,680 | -3% |
| Nursing Assistants | 13,580 | 1.07 | $39,430 | $33,730 | $49,050 | -7% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 13,520 | 0.36 | $33,680 | $26,920 | $41,560 | -6% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | 740 | 0.41 | $329,030 | $114,100 | $599,990 | +54% |
| Physicians, All Other | 2,400 | 0.80 | $327,040 | $74,580 | $452,850 | +23% |
| Nurse Anesthetists | 910 | 2.00 | $277,550 | $222,510 | $334,180 | +17% |
| Dentists, General | 1,140 | 1.05 | $189,220 | $103,490 | $312,000 | +11% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 8,120 | 1.39 | $176,840 | $119,750 | $305,560 | +1% |
| Financial Managers | 9,290 | 1.26 | $172,760 | $111,000 | $329,110 | +4% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 1,830 | 0.95 | $169,960 | $125,020 | $256,460 | -1% |
| Marketing Managers | 3,830 | 1.11 | $166,200 | $94,240 | $268,360 | -0% |
| Sales Managers | 5,930 | 1.06 | $162,000 | $76,540 | $311,420 | +9% |
| Human Resources Managers | 2,310 | 1.20 | $158,930 | $99,310 | $292,290 | +6% |
| Lawyers | 5,380 | 0.82 | $157,180 | $61,830 | $371,170 | -2% |
| Managers, All Other | 6,640 | 1.22 | $156,020 | $84,080 | $272,240 | +10% |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 2,090 | 2.31 | $151,540 | $97,700 | $206,700 | -35% |
| Pharmacists | 2,530 | 0.90 | $150,580 | $91,770 | $173,930 | +7% |
| Purchasing Managers | 870 | 1.18 | $144,270 | $98,160 | $228,510 | -3% |
| Database Architects | 1,560 | 2.66 | $138,870 | $88,510 | $180,650 | -0% |
| Software Developers | 20,820 | 1.41 | $135,920 | $93,690 | $172,360 | -0% |
| Computer Network Architects | 2,350 | 1.50 | $134,410 | $95,280 | $173,800 | +0% |
| Financial Risk Specialists | 1,880 | 3.37 | $133,530 | $82,840 | $214,540 | +14% |
| Physician Assistants | 1,680 | 1.19 | $133,140 | $99,610 | $169,220 | -2% |
These figures are for the whole Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $49,990 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.3% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 17.9% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 16.2% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 14.1% |
| Retail trade | 9.9% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.1% |
| Construction | 7.9% |
| Manufacturing | 7.4% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 7.4% |
| Other services | 4.8% |
| Information | 2.1% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.1% |
| Public administration | 1.9% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Charlotte lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mecklenburg County | 1,154,681 | $186,114 million | $161,182 | 788,436 | 53,030 | $88,111 | +1.0% | 3.3% | 662,350 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and insurance | 87,476 | 12.4% | $163,484 | 2.73 |
| Professional and technical services | 70,770 | 10.0% | $119,282 | 1.29 |
| Accommodation and food services | 68,068 | 9.6% | $31,596 | 0.95 |
| Health care and social assistance | 65,902 | 9.3% | $71,036 | 0.58 |
| Retail trade | 64,565 | 9.1% | $44,679 | 0.82 |
| Administrative and waste services | 61,781 | 8.7% | $60,719 | 1.33 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 51,522 | 7.3% | $72,585 | 1.54 |
| Construction | 40,961 | 5.8% | $87,028 | 0.99 |
| Wholesale trade | 38,600 | 5.5% | $100,434 | 1.24 |
| Manufacturing | 34,613 | 4.9% | $90,995 | 0.53 |
| Management of companies | 29,500 | 4.2% | $160,853 | 2.22 |
| Information | 21,020 | 3.0% | $122,331 | 1.42 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 20,635 | 2.9% | $53,901 | 0.87 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 17,326 | 2.4% | $64,968 | 1.31 |
| Real estate and rental | 17,307 | 2.4% | $91,479 | 1.41 |
| Educational services | 14,258 | 2.0% | $47,125 | 0.87 |
| Utilities | 2,001 | 0.3% | $131,698 | 0.67 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 895 | 0.1% | $73,604 | 0.14 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 184 | 0.0% | $72,587 | 0.06 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 57.4% |
| Public transit | 1.9% |
| Walk | 1.7% |
| Work from home | 28.8% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 10.6% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,068 |
| Income per person | $51,814 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,612 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 23.6% |
| Median home value | $385,700 |
| Homeowners | 51.0% |
| Poverty rate | 11.7% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 97.3 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $49,990 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 3.99%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 34.5 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 89.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 48.0% |
| Born abroad | 18.7% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 72.4% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4.4 | 40 | 80 |
| Feb | 6.3 | 43 | 81 |
| Mar | 10.6 | 51 | 95 |
| Apr | 16.0 | 61 | 89 |
| May | 20.8 | 69 | 102 |
| Jun | 25.3 | 78 | 107 |
| Jul | 27.1 | 81 | 112 |
| Aug | 26.4 | 80 | 109 |
| Sep | 22.8 | 73 | 98 |
| Oct | 16.6 | 62 | 80 |
| Nov | 10.3 | 51 | 86 |
| Dec | 6.5 | 44 | 107 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pineville | NC | 9 mi | 11,055 | $69,354 | $1,552 |
| Matthews | NC | 9 mi | 30,577 | $108,611 | $1,764 |
| Mint Hill | NC | 10 mi | 27,556 | $100,860 | $1,528 |
| Stallings | NC | 12 mi | 16,886 | $115,974 | $1,882 |
| Belmont | NC | 12 mi | 15,546 | $94,883 | $1,365 |
| Mount Holly | NC | 12 mi | 18,208 | $79,385 | $1,256 |
| Harrisburg | NC | 12 mi | 19,633 | $148,254 | $2,640 |
| Huntersville | NC | 14 mi | 63,969 | $120,516 | $1,834 |
| Weddington | NC | 14 mi | 13,805 | $190,766 | $1,927 |
| Indian Trail | NC | 14 mi | 42,036 | $108,483 | $2,077 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
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Large employers headquartered in Charlotte (from our list of the 200 largest US-based employers):
| Company ⇅ | Industry ⇅ | Employees (global) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Lowe's Companies | Retail (home improvement) | 270,000 (year not stated) |
| Bank of America | Financial services | 213,000 (2025) |
| Six Flags Entertainment | Amusement parks | 95,225 (2025) |
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority | Health care | 70,000 (year not stated) |
| Truist Financial | Financial services | 38,335 (2024) |
903,844 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,612 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 23.6% of the median household income.
$82,068 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.3% (BLS county, Mecklenburg County (latest month 2026M09)).
North Carolina. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.