Cornelius Growth Trails Region
A new report from the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance found the Charlotte region’s population grew an average of 14.6% over the past five years.
By comparison, Cornelius’ population grew an average of 3.8% annually from 2020 to 2024, according to the North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management. The town’s population increased 1.1% in the most recently available year-over-year data.
An average of 135 people moved to the Charlotte region each day between July 1, 2024, and July 1, 2025, according to the alliance report.
The 16-county region gained 49,324 residents through net migration during the 12-month period, excluding births. While the daily average is down from 157 a year earlier, the alliance attributed the decline to a nationwide slowdown in international migration rather than weaker demand for the Charlotte region.
The 11-county Charlotte metropolitan area averaged 117 net new residents per day, compared with 102 for Austin and 100 for Atlanta, according to the report.
The report also found the Charlotte metropolitan area led the nation in domestic migration, adding 30,358 residents from elsewhere in the United States during the year. The largest sources of new residents were the New York, Miami, Philadelphia, Washington and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.
The region added 17,000 net new jobs and more than 28,000 housing units during the same period. Mecklenburg County accounted for 11,320 of those new housing units, the highest total in the region.
