Tally It Up: 2023 in Charlotte By the Numbers
More people, pricier flights, lower (but still damn good) soccer attendance, and a lot of folks hacked off at the school board
$3.4 million:
Amount the City Council approved in August to replace two fire engines damaged in the five-alarm fire in SouthPark on May 18. The accidental fire, which started on the ground floor of an apartment building under construction, killed two workers trapped on the sixth floor. The exact cause remained under investigation as of September.
897,720:
Charlotte’s 2022 population estimate—which again makes it the nation’s 15th-most-populous city after it dropped to 16th in 2021, according to U.S. Census data released in May.
33,871:
As of late September, the average attendance at Charlotte FC home games for the season—down a bit from the MLS team’s inaugural 2022 campaign, when it averaged 35,260. Good news: Both years, Charlotte FC’s attendance ranked second in the 29-team league. Bad news: Both years, Atlanta United was first.
75:
The number of people who signed up to speak to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board on June 6. That night, the board voted on a contentious plan to redraw school boundary lines and feeder patterns in south Charlotte. Despite numerous complaints, board members adopted the plan’s third draft by a 7-2 vote.
15,217:
Charlotte’s estimated population increase from July 1, 2021, to July 1, 2022. The rise was the fifth-largest among American cities, according to the Census Bureau. (The top four: Fort Worth, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Seattle.)
32:
The number of construction-related street closures in Charlotte as of late September.
$453.89:
The average domestic flight price from Charlotte Douglas International Airport in the first quarter of 2023, up from $381.77 in the first quarter of 2022—a 19% increase. CLT’s spike ranked 18th among 72 American airports in a study published in August by financial adviser SmartAsset.
$37.96 Million:
The value of rookie quarterback Bryce Young’s four-year contract with the Carolina Panthers, which he signed in July. The amount—fully guaranteed—includes a $24.6 million signing bonus. The Panthers made Young, 22, the first overall pick in the NFL draft in April after his Heisman Trophy-winning career at Alabama.
$1,729:
The annual amount by which household bills in Charlotte are higher than the national average, according to online bill-pay service doxo. Charlotteans pay an average of $2,190 per month on mortgage, rent, car loan, utilities, and other bills—which ranks the city only 22nd in North Carolina. (At No. 1? Cary.)
1,055:
Number of emergency department visits for COVID-19-like illness in Mecklenburg County during the first two weeks of September. Of those, 11% led to admission. The numbers are down. But it’s still with us.
