157 people move to Charlotte region each day, report finds

Flashback: The Alliance's annual figure has risen consistently since 2020, when the pandemic propelled migration trends toward the Sun Belt.

• 2023: 113
• 2022: 84
• 2021: 83

What they did: The Alliance analyzed U.S. Census data from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2024, and found that the Charlotte region, which encompasses 14 counties, gained a net 57,300 residents through migration alone.

• Divide that by 365 days a year, and you get an average of 157 people per day.
• According to an Alliance spokesperson, the organization has applied the same methodology year over year.

The big picture: Charlotte's rapid growth leads some to gripe about traffic, strained infrastructure and crowded schools. But it's also validation that the region is an appealing place to live. Plus, an expanding workforce is good for business.

• "We're building the right type of community that is a magnet for this talent," says Tracy Dodson, the Alliance's COO and head of economic development.

Between the lines: The new report comes out as the Alliance launches a $3 million campaign to support the 1-cent sales tax referendum for transit and roads on the November election ballot.

• If passed, the tax increase is projected to generate $19.4 billion over 30 years for transportation projects.
• Expect city officials and boosters to cite the 157-people-a-day number to sway public investments — just as they did with the 113 figure to help pass the record-breaking $2.5 billion school bond for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in 2023.

By the numbers: Mecklenburg County led the regional growth in the report, with the addition of roughly 22,000 residents, a 1.9% increase.

• Iredell County followed with 5,900 new people, a 3% rise.

The intrigue: 49% of new residents are from abroad.

• Dodson attributes this to the more than 800 international companies that now operate across the region, including 220 from Germany, 92 from the U.K., 65 from Canada and 89 from Japan.
• She also noted that Charlotte has become a feeder for the rest of the Carolinas: newcomers arrive in the region and later move to other parts of the state, like Asheville and Wilmington.

What's next: The region's population is projected to grow from 3 million to 4.6 million people by 2050, according to another report by the Alliance.

The bottom line: "We want to continue to see our community grow. We don't want to tell the story where we're losing population," Dodson tells Axios. "But I think that it gets concerning if we can't keep up with our growth."

• The latest daily movers stat will likely generate renewed urgency in not just transportation but also affordability, housing and power infrastructure.