Visitor spending hit record highs again in Mecklenburg County and the Charlotte region in 2017, continuing to surpass all other tourism-centric destinations in the Carolinas. In 2017, the Charlotte region hosted approximately 28.3 million visitors, an increase of 500,000 from 2016, according to research firm Longwoods International. The Charlotte region also continues to boast the largest number of direct tourism employees and the largest payroll in the state. The leisure and hospitality industry represents 1 in 9 or 136,300 jobs and is the fourth largest industry in the Charlotte region, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
“We look forward to seeing this data every year because it tells the story of the profound impact of tourism in the Charlotte region,” says Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority CEO Tom Murray. “Charlotte’s visitor economy has grown every year since 2010, continuing to fuel job growth, provide tax savings for residents and help improve the quality of life for our entire community.”
The table below shows in detail the breakdown of the most recent visitor spending data in North Carolina counties (2017) and South Carolina counties (2016) in the Charlotte region, defined here as the Charlotte Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The employment directly supported by visitor spending is also highlighted.
| County | Visitor Spending (millions) | Employment | Payroll (millions) | State & Local Tax Collections (millions) |
Population** | Tax Savings by Resident*** |
| Mecklenburg | $5,381.42 | 52,250 | $1,938.56 | $387.61 | 1,076,837 | $359.95 |
| Cabarrus | $446.84 | 4,580 | $106.14 | $33.45 | 206,872 | $161.69 |
| Gaston | $261.75 | 2,000 | $44.60 | $19.35 | 220,182 | $87.88 |
| Iredell | $256.88 | 1,960 | $42.87 | $22.11 | 175,711 | $125.83 |
| Rowan | $174.79 | 1,450 | $30.73 | $15.00 | 140,644 | $106.65 |
| Union | $139.75 | 1,080 | $23.47 | $10.29 | 231,666 | $44.42 |
| Lincoln | $56.60 | 400 | $9.79 | $4.86 | 82,403 | $58.98 |
| York* | $226.80 | 2,150 | $40.31 | $21.32 | 245,606 | $86.81 |
| Lancaster* | $31.86 | 280 | $5.11 | $2.96 | 83,704 | $35.36 |
| Chester* | $24.91 | 220 | $4.04 | $2.20 | 32,435 | $67.83 |
| 2017 Total Charlotte MSA | $7,001.60 | 66,370 | $2,245.62 | $519.15 | 2,496,060 | $207.99 (Average MSA) |
| 2016 Total Charlotte MSA | $6,730.23 | 64,610 | $2,071.38 | $499.57 | 2,454,856 | $203.50 (Average MSA) |
| YOY Percent Change | +4% | +2.7% | +8.4% | +3.9% | +1.7% | +2.2% |
You can find out more specific data on 2017 visitor spending in our state on VisitNC.com