Charlotte metropolitan area


The Charlotte metropolitan area is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, containing the city of Charlotte, North Carolina. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, Concord, Huntersville, and Rock Hill as well as the large suburban area in the counties surrounding Mecklenburg County, which is at the center of the metro area. Located in the Piedmont, it is the largest metropolitan area in the Carolinas, and the fourth largest in the Southeastern United States. The Charlotte metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the United States.
There are two official metropolitan boundaries for the Charlotte metropolitan area: Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia, NC–SC Metropolitan Statistical Area and Charlotte–Concord, NC–SC Combined Statistical Area, the latter of which additionally including Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton metropolitan area and three micropolitan areas: Marion, Shelby and Albemarle.
The population of the MSA was 2,595,027 and the population of the CSA was 2,754,842 as of 2020 Census. In 2023, the Office of Management and Budget issued new revised delineations for Combined Statistical Areas that included a 2022 population estimate of 3,333,992 for the new Charlotte–Concord, NC–SC CSA. The metropolitan area is slightly larger than. The new Combined Statistical Area definition is approximately 8,536 square miles in size.
The Charlotte metro area is a major financial center, transportation hub, and entertainment destination. Charlotte is the second largest financial hub in the United States behind New York City, being the headquarters for Bank of America and Truist Financial as well as housing the East Coast headquarters and largest employment hub of Wells Fargo. Other Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the metro area include Brighthouse Financial, Duke Energy, Honeywell, Lowe's, Nucor, Sonic Automotive, Albemarle and CommScope in the Hickory area. The Charlotte metro area is the largest manufacturing region in the Carolinas. The estimated gross metropolitan product of the metro area is over $170 billion. Located in Mecklenburg County, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is the seventh-busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements and the city's location at the junction of I-85 and I-77 makes it a highway logistics center. The Charlotte metro is also one of the centers of American auto racing and is home to the Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and Charlotte FC.
The Charlotte metro is home to a number of prominent higher education institutions, including the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Queens University of Charlotte, Davidson College, Belmont Abbey College, Winthrop University and many more. The larger region is also home to respected institutions such as Gardner-Webb University, Lenoir–Rhyne University, Wingate University, and the Hickory campus of Appalachian State University. The primary community college for the area is Central Piedmont Community College, which has several campuses throughout Charlotte and the surrounding region.

Nickname

Charlotte's most common nickname is the Queen City, often abbreviated as Q.C., a name derived from the city's namesake, Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Regional identity

The regional area around the city was at one time called Metrolina, a portmanteau of Metropolis and Carolina. The term has fallen out of widespread general use, though it still maintains a presence and is used by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The term does retain a marketing value, and is thus also used by many businesses in the area. Metrolina refers to the region that includes the cities of Charlotte, Concord, Gastonia and Rock Hill. The name Metrolina came into fashion when North Carolina's other two large metropolitan areas took on nicknames—the Triangle for Raleigh/Durham/Cary/Chapel Hill and the Triad for Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point.
The term "Charlotte USA" referred to the 16-county region, which includes 12 counties in North Carolina and 4 counties in South Carolina. The term was championed during a marketing campaign by the Charlotte Regional Partnership, a non-profit organization made up of both private- and public-sector members from throughout the Charlotte region. This organization represents one of seven officially designated economic development regions in North Carolina.
Region F of the North Carolina Councils of Government, of which a majority of the Charlotte area municipalities and counties belong, uses the term Centralina in its body's name, Centralina Council of Governments. This term, however, is used only sparingly among locals.

Geography

Counties

The official Charlotte metropolitan area includes the Charlotte–Concord–Gastonia MSA. The Charlotte CSA includes all the MSA counties along with two micropolitan areas in North Carolina Albemarle and Shelby.
The Charlotte Regional Partnership also identifies three additional counties to what they refer to as the "Charlotte Region"—Alexander and Catawba counties in North Carolina, and Chesterfield County, South Carolina. Catawba and Alexander counties are currently part of the Hickory–Lenoir–Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area or "the Unifour". Factoring in the Unifour, as well as Chesterfield County, if one considers these regions to be part of the Charlotte area, as many in the area regard them as such, the population according to 2018 Census estimates, increases to 3,190,390. If this population was officially used, the Charlotte Area would become the 20th largest CSA, overtaking the St. Louis, Missouri area, and placing it behind Portland, Oregon.
County2022 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Mecklenburg County--
York County--
Union County--
Cabarrus County--
Gaston County--
Iredell County--
Rowan County--
Lancaster County--
Lincoln County--
Chester County--
Anson County--
Total--

County2022 Estimate2020 CensusChangeAreaDensity
Catawba County--
Cleveland County--
Burke County--
Caldwell County--
Stanly County--
McDowell County--
Alexander County--
Total for Alexander, Burke,
Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland,
McDowell and Stanly counties		--
Total for entire Charlotte CSA--

Largest cities and towns

RankCity / townCounty2024 Estimate2020 CensusChange
1CharlotteMecklenburg County--
2ConcordCabarrus County--
3GastoniaGaston County--
4Rock HillYork County--
5HuntersvilleMecklenburg County--
6KannapolisCabarrus County / Rowan County--
7MooresvilleIredell County--
8HickoryCatawba County--
9Indian TrailUnion County--
10MonroeUnion County--
11SalisburyRowan County--
12Fort MillYork County--
13CorneliusMecklenburg County--
14MatthewsMecklenburg County / Union County--
15StatesvilleIredell County--
16Mint HillMecklenburg County / Union County--
17WaxhawUnion County--
18ShelbyCleveland County--
19HarrisburgCabarrus County--
20Mount HollyGaston County--
21LenoirCaldwell County--
22MorgantonBurke County--
23StallingsUnion County / Mecklenburg County--
24AlbemarleStanly County--
25DavidsonMecklenburg County / Iredell County--
26BelmontGaston County--
27WeddingtonMecklenburg County / Union County--
28Tega CayYork County--
29NewtonCatawba County--
30LincolntonLincoln County--
31Kings MountainCleveland County / Gaston County--
32PinevilleMecklenburg County--