Charlotte Nears 1 Million as Growth Tests Infrastructure and Patience

Charlotte is racing toward 1 million residents, with 20,731 people added between 2024 and 2025—the most of any U.S. metro—bringing the city to about 964,784 and heightening concerns that rapid growth is reviving the crowded, costly conditions it drew people away from. While still cheaper than peer cities, housing affordability is eroding as incomes lag home-price gains (median values rising from about $238k in 2019 to roughly $407k today). Planners are pushing density along transit corridors and pursuing transit upgrades, even as debates over toll lanes and major projects linger after Mecklenburg County approved a 1-cent transportation sales tax.