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What are the crime rate and median income in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina?
The violent-crime rate in Mecklenburg County was 6.2 per 1,000 residents (2021-2025 average, FBI), 62% higher than the statewide rate (3.8). Median household income is $87,005 and the unemployment rate was 3.7% in August 2026. Population: about 1,154,681 (Census, 2020-2024).
Last updated . Crime: FBI 2021-2025. Income and housing: Census ACS 2020-2024. Unemployment: BLS August 2026. Road work: October 11, 2026.
Also on the map: income · hazard risk · Superfund · dams
What is the crime rate in Mecklenburg County?
From 2021 through 2025, Mecklenburg County averaged 7,292 reported violent crimes a year, along with 37,823 property crimes. Per 1,000 residents, the violent-crime rate works out to 6.2: 62% higher than the North Carolina rate (3.8), and 69% higher than the national rate (3.7). Burglary, theft and car theft together come to 32.4 per 1,000 residents, compared with 20.0 across North Carolina. Aggravated assaults make up 77% of the violent total. CDC death records show about 100 homicide deaths a year in the county (9.1 per 100,000), a count that includes cases police may classify differently.
| Offense (yearly average, 2021-2025) | Mecklenburg County | Per 1,000 | North Carolina per 1,000 | U.S. per 1,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crime | 7,292 | 6.2 | 3.8 | 3.7 |
| Murder | 103 | 0.09 | 0.08 | 0.06 |
| Rape | 288 | 0.25 | 0.29 | 0.40 |
| Robbery | 1,308 | 1.1 | 0.51 | 0.62 |
| Aggravated assault | 5,593 | 4.8 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Property crime | 37,823 | 32.4 | 20.0 | 18.1 |
| Burglary | 4,534 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Larceny-theft | 27,252 | 23.3 | 14.2 | 13.0 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 6,038 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 2.6 |
Most crime never reaches the police, so these are reported crimes, a floor rather than the full count. In 2024 about half of violent crimes (48%) and about 3 in 10 property crimes (31%) were reported to police (U.S. Justice Department, National Crime Victimization Survey). Rates also depend on how completely each agency reports to the FBI. County figures add up the city police and sheriff reports in the county (7 agencies; 100% of residents covered).
What is the median household income in Mecklenburg County?
The median household in Mecklenburg County earns $87,005 a year, 20% higher than the North Carolina median ($72,388). Owner-occupied homes have a median value of $406,800, and the median rent is $1,627 a month. 8.7% of households received SNAP benefits in the past year (state: 12.8%). The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 24,008 people out of work and looking.
| Census ACS 2020-2024 | Mecklenburg County | North Carolina | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 1,154,681 | 10,730,404 | 334,922,499 |
| Median household income | $87,005 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Median home value (owner-occupied) | $406,800 | $288,900 | $332,700 |
| Median gross rent | $1,627 | $1,228 | $1,413 |
| Unemployment rate (2020-2024 average) | 4.3% | 4.7% | 5.2% |
| People below the poverty line | 10.4% | 13.0% | 12.5% |
| Households receiving SNAP (food stamps) | 8.7% | 12.8% | 12.1% |
| Adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher | 49.2% | 35.7% | 35.7% |
| Homeowner households | 55.1% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
| Median age | 35.5 | 39.1 | 38.9 |
| Households with broadband internet | 94.1% | 90.1% | 91.0% |
| People without health insurance | 11.5% | 9.9% | 8.4% |
What natural hazards and environmental sites are in Mecklenburg County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Mecklenburg County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are tornadoes (Relatively High) and river flooding (Relatively High). The index compares counties with each other and also weighs how vulnerable and resilient a community is, so it is a long-run estimate, not a forecast.
Superfund sites
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Mecklenburg County: Ram Leather Care Site. 1 other site has finished cleanup and been taken off the list. A listing means EPA is managing a long-term cleanup; it does not by itself mean anyone is exposed today.
High-hazard dams
The National Inventory of Dams lists 89 high-hazard dams in Mecklenburg County. 4 are rated Poor or Unsatisfactory in condition, 83 Satisfactory or Fair. The two tallest are Franklin Treatment Plant 250 Mg Raw Water Reservoir Dam (59 ft) and Allen Retired Ash Basin Dam (50 ft). “High hazard” describes what lies downstream (people would probably die if the dam failed), not how likely the dam is to fail.
Industrial chemical releases
64 facilities in the county filed Toxics Release Inventory reports for 2024, together reporting 2,579,582 pounds of listed chemicals released on site. Reported releases are legal permitted amounts in most cases.
Disasters, air and water
Mecklenburg County was covered by 1 federal major disaster declaration from 2016 through 2025 (Tropical Storm 1), not counting COVID-19. EPA air monitors logged 4 days in 2024 when the air quality index reached “unhealthy for sensitive groups” or worse. Of 30 community water systems, none had an open health-based drinking-water violation in EPA's records (September 2026). EPA puts the county in radon zone 3 (low). NHTSA counted 121 traffic deaths in the county in 2024, including 36 pedestrians.
Is there road construction in Mecklenburg County?
Mecklenburg County had 56 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (3 active that day). Roads listed: I-77, I-77 Southbound and I-77 Northbound. 55 are on interstates. The map's construction layer is refreshed every morning.
See today's work zones on the map →
How many schools, nursing homes and parks are in Mecklenburg County?
Mecklenburg County has 224 public schools (2024-25) and 64 private schools (2023-24) in federal school lists. 29 nursing homes are certified by Medicare or Medicaid here; star ratings for each are on the map and on Medicare's Care Compare. USGS mapping shows 62 fire or EMS stations and 21 police or sheriff stations.
Gun shops, liquor stores and Planned Parenthood in Mecklenburg County
Gun shops
16 gun shops with a public storefront are on the map in Mecklenburg County, plus 49 more licensed dealers without a public storefront (not shown). 7 of them are pawnshops licensed to sell guns. On the ATF list: Academy Sports + Outdoors #379 (Charlotte), Academy Sports And Outdoors #313 (Matthews), Beltway Gun & Pawn INC (Matthews), Blackstone Shooting Sports (Charlotte), Bull Moose Guns (Mint Hill), Carolina Firearms & Transfers (Charlotte), Carolina Sporting Arms (Charlotte), Cash America Pawn (Charlotte) and 8 more.
Liquor stores
31 liquor stores are on the map in Mecklenburg County: ABC (3 locations), ABC (2 in Charlotte), ABC Spirits, ABC Spirits (6 in Charlotte), ABC Store, ABC Store (Matthews), Liquor At The Lake (Clover), Mecklenburg County Abc Board Warehouse And Mxb #19 (Charlotte) and 15 more. North Carolina has no complete public liquor licence list we can use, so this count also draws on OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps and may miss some stores or include closed ones.
Planned Parenthood
One Planned Parenthood health center is on the map in Mecklenburg County: Planned Parenthood - Charlotte Health Center (Charlotte).
See them on the map: gun shops · liquor stores · Planned Parenthood →
Sources: ATF licensee list (Sept 2026); state liquor licence lists, OpenStreetMap and Overture Maps (non-official; partial in some states); HHS Title X directory and CMS NPPES.
Common questions
What is the crime rate in Mecklenburg County?
Mecklenburg County averaged 7,292 reported violent crimes a year in 2021-2025, or 6.2 per 1,000 residents, 62% higher than the North Carolina rate (3.8). The property-crime rate was 32.4 per 1,000 (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting).
What is the median household income in Mecklenburg County?
$87,005 (Census American Community Survey, 2020-2024 average), compared with $72,388 for North Carolina and $80,734 nationally.
What is the unemployment rate in Mecklenburg County?
The newest monthly figure from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is 3.7% for August 2026 (preliminary), with 24,008 people out of work and looking.
What natural hazards affect Mecklenburg County?
On FEMA's National Risk Index, Mecklenburg County has an overall natural-hazard risk rating of “Relatively High”. Among the hazards we show, the highest-rated are tornadoes (Relatively High) and river flooding (Relatively High).
Are there Superfund sites in Mecklenburg County?
EPA lists 1 active Superfund site (final or proposed) in Mecklenburg County: Ram Leather Care Site. 1 other site has finished cleanup and been taken off the list.
Is there road construction in Mecklenburg County right now?
Mecklenburg County had 56 highway work zones in the October 11, 2026 feed from the state DOT (3 active that day). Roads listed: I-77, I-77 Southbound and I-77 Northbound. 55 are on interstates.
How many nursing homes are in Mecklenburg County?
29 Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing homes (CMS provider data, September 2026).
How does Mecklenburg County compare with neighboring counties?
| County | Population | Violent crimes per 1,000 (2021-25) | Median household income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabarrus County | 236,133 | 1.2 | $89,005 |
| Gaston County | 234,881 | 4.3 | $67,478 |
| Iredell County | 196,544 | 2.7 | $81,419 |
| Lancaster County, SC | 104,475 | 3.4 | $78,869 |
| Lincoln County | 92,716 | 1.6 | $80,016 |
| Union County | 250,958 | 2.0 | $102,900 |
| York County, SC | 293,673 | 2.8 | $89,095 |
Cities in Mecklenburg County with their own page: Charlotte, Huntersville.
More: North Carolina statewide numbers · Sex-offender registry search (U.S. Justice Department, NSOPW)
Where do these numbers come from?
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting 2021-2025 (agency level, Return A), averaged and summed by county by Map the Block; Census population; state and national rates: FBI estimated crimes 2021-2025.
- Income, housing, education: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year, table B19013 (median household income) and related tables.
- Monthly unemployment: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), county data, not seasonally adjusted. Public domain.
- Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), county scores; disasters: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
- Superfund: U.S. EPA, Superfund site boundaries and NPL status (October 2026). Dams: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National Inventory of Dams (public map service, October 2026). Chemical releases: U.S. EPA Toxics Release Inventory, reporting year 2024 (basic data file).
- Air and water: U.S. EPA AirData, annual AQI by county 2024; EPA Air Quality Design Values 2023-2025 (June 2026); U.S. EPA SDWIS via ECHO drinking-water download (September 30, 2026). Traffic deaths: NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024; Census population.
- Work zones: State departments of transportation, via the U.S. DOT Work Zone Data Exchange (WZDx) and state 511 feeds; refreshed every morning (snapshot October 11, 2026).
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE public school locations 2024-25; budgets: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2024; National Center for Education Statistics, EDGE Private School geocodes (Private School Survey 2023-24). Nursing homes: U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Nursing Home Provider Information and Penalties (September 2026). Stations: U.S. Geological Survey, National Structures Dataset (Fire Stations/EMS Stations), October 2026 pull.
- Parks: USGS Protected Areas Database of the U.S. (PAD-US 4.1); state park agencies' open data (CA, NY, PA, TN, TX, FL, NJ, KY, HI, UT, MT and others); OpenStreetMap contributors for some hours, phones, fees and camping; U.S. National Park Service: unit boundaries (Land Resources Division), Acreage Report (Sept 30, 2026), park pages on nps.gov (hours, fees), Visitor Use Statistics (2025).
Map the Block shows public statistics about places, not people, and does not rate or rank neighborhoods as places to live. Figures are as published by each source; check the source before relying on a number.
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