1. Demographic & Economic Changes
and How They Impact Our Community
Presentation by Linda Shipley & Laura Simmons
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
October 2011

2. Overview
• Demographic changes: 2000-2010
• Impacts of the recession: 2005-2010
• Issues and opportunities that have emerged for
our community

4. Demographic Change
• Mecklenburg population 2010: 920,000
– Most populous county in N.C.
– Wake County is a close second (901,000)
• Population growth 2000-2010: 32.2%
– Nearly twice as fast as the state (18.5%)
– Not as fast as Wake County (43.5%)
Source: 2010 Census, 2000 Census

5. Age
• Population is slowly aging
– e.g. 60-64 group up from 3% to 4.4%
2000 2010
85 years and over
Male 80 to 84 years Male Female
Female
75 to 79 years
70 to 74 years
65 to 69 years
60 to 64 years
55 to 59 years
50 to 54 years
45 to 49 years
40 to 44 years
35 to 39 years
30 to 34 years
25 to 29 years
20 to 24 years
15 to 19 years
10 to 14 years
5 to 9 years
Under 5 years
6% 4% 2% 0% 2% 4% 6% 6% 4% 2% 0% 2% 4% 6%
Source: 2010 Census, 2000 Census

6. Race/Ethnicity
• Racial/ethnic minorities have increased, especially Hispanic
population
Percent of Population 2010 2000 Change 2000-2010
White 50.6%
61.1% 9.5%
African 30.2%
American 27.7% 44.5%
American 0.3%
Indian 0.3% 33.5%
Asian 4.6%
3.1% 93.4%
Other 0.3%
0.2% 124.1%
Multi-Racial 1.8%
1.1% 109.4%
Hispanic/Latino 12.2%
6.5% 149.5%
Source: 2010 Census, 2000 Census

7. Race/Ethnicity
• White (non-Hispanic) population in wedge south of Uptown, in North
Mecklenburg, and along Union County border
• African American population in West and North Charlotte
• Hispanic population in East and Southwest Charlotte
Source: 2010 Census

8. Family Structure
• Married couple families are still most prevalent
but declining, while single parent families and
unmarried partner households are on the rise
Family Structure
2000 2010
80.0% 74.6%
69.4%
70.0%
60.0%
50.0%
40.0%
30.0%
17.7%
20.0% 14.5%
10.0% 5.2% 7.0%
0.0%
Married Couple Families Single Parent Families Unmarried Partner Families
Source: 2010 American Community Survey, 2000 Census

9. Educational Attainment
• Education levels have increased
Highest Degree
High School Diploma or Less Bachelor's Degree or Higher
45.0%
39.2%
40.0% 37.1%
35.0% 33.7% 32.5%
30.0%
25.0%
20.0%
15.0%
10.0%
5.0%
0.0%
2000 2010
Source: 2010 American Community Survey, 2000 Census

10. Educational Attainment
• Education levels are higher for non-Hispanic
whites and Asians than African Americans and
Hispanic/Latinos
Highest Degree by Race, 2010
70.0% 66.5%
60.0% 55.2%
50.3%
50.0% 42.6%
40.0% 33.8%
30.0% 23.5%
21.1%
20.0% 16.0%
10.0%
0.0%
White, Non-Hispanic African American Asian Hispanic/Latino
High School Diploma or Less Bachelor's Degree or Higher
Source: 2010 American Community Survey

11. Income
• More households with high and low incomes and
fewer in the middle
Household Income
2000 2010
40.0%
35.0% 33.5%
30.5%
28.8%
30.0%
24.9%
25.0% 23.0%
20.4%
20.0% 16.4%
15.0% 13.2%
10.0%
4.0% 5.2%
5.0%
0.0%
Less than $25,00025,000 to $50,000
$ $50,000 to $100,000
$100,000 to $200,000
$200,000 or more
Source: 2010 American Community Survey, 2000 Census

12. Income
• Incomes are highest for non-Hispanic whites and
lower for minority groups
Median Household Income by Race, 2010
$70,000 $66,460
$60,000 $53,482
$50,000
$39,876
$40,000 $36,413
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$-
White, Non- African American Asian Hispanic/Latino
Hispanic
Source: 2010 American Community Survey

13. Employment
• Construction and manufacturing have declined
• Education & health services, financial
activities, and leisure & hospitality have grown
Construction
2000 2010 Education & Health Services
Financial Activities
7% 5%
7% 24% 11% Information
26%
9% Leisure & Hospitality
12%
5% Manufacturing
10% 4% Natural Resources, Mining
23%
23% 12%
10% Other Services
6%
Professional & Business
3% 3%
Services
Trade, Transportation, and
Utilities
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages

14. Newcomers
• Over 65,000 people moved to Mecklenburg
County between 2009 and 2010
– 65% came from outside North Carolina
• 1/3 from another state in the South
• 1/4 from the Northeast
• 1/5 from a different country
– Half are white (non-Hispanic), 1/4 are African
American, 11% are Hispanic/Latino, and 11% Asian
– Over 40% are college educated, 30% have a high
school education or less
Source: 2010 American Community Survey

15. Newcomers
• Where are
newcomers moving?
– University City
– Northern and
Southwestern parts
of the county
Source: 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

16. Development

18. Unemployment
• Unemployment
– More than 3 times what it was in 2000
• 3% in 2000
• 10.9% in 2010
– Worse for some groups than for others
• Twice as bad for African Americans (19.7%) than non-
Hispanic whites (9.6%)
• 2.5+ times worse for those with a high school diploma
(16.3%), or less (15.9%), than for those with a
bachelor’s degree or higher (6.3%)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010 American Community Survey

19. Poverty
• Poverty has increased to national average
Percent of People in Poverty
Mecklenburg County North Carolina United States
20%
17.5%
18% 16.3%
16% 15.1% 15.3% 15.3%
14.7% 14.3% 14.6%
13.0% 14.0% 14.3%
14% 13.3% 13.3% 13.2%
12% 11.3% 11.3% 10.7% 10.5%
10%
8%
6%
4%
2%
0%
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: American Community Survey

20. Poverty
• Poverty is
concentrated in the
crescent around
Uptown stretching
from the southwest
to southeast
Source: 2005-2009 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates

21. Foreclosures
• Twice as many foreclosures in 2010 as 2005
Foreclosures in Mecklenburg County
14,000 12,766
12,176
12,000
10,000
8,384
7,940
8,000 7,158
6,345
6,000
4,000
2,000
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: North Carolina Office of the Courts

22. Public Services
• Many struggling
neighborhoods face
additional hardships
because of reductions
in hours and locations
of public services like
libraries and
recreation centers

24. Education
• After decades of successful integration, CMS
schools have become segregated once again
Source: North Carolina Department of Instruction

25. Education
• Student population of CMS has become more
diverse and more economically disadvantaged
– 37% students applied for free-reduced lunch in
2001-02, up to 53% in 2009-10
CMS Students by Race
2001-02 2009-10
4% 5%
7%
16% American Indian
34%
Asian
45%
Hispanic
Black
44% White
45%
Source: North Carolina Department of Instruction

26. Transportation
• Mismatch between
location of services
and population in
need of those
services
– e.g. services for
disconnected youth
Source: “Preparing Our Youth for Work: A Community Assessment”

27. Health
• Obesity has become an increasingly serious
problem
Percent of Adults who are Overweight or Obese
70%
60%
50%
34.3%
40%
35.4%
30%
20%
26.0%
10% 18.7%
0%
2001 2010
Obese Overweight
Source: 2001, 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Survey

28. Health
• Significant disparities in health care coverage
Percent of People (18 to 64) Without Health Insurance, 2010
70%
58.1%
60%
50% 43.5%
40%
30% 26.1%
22.8%
18.8%
20% 13.5%
10%
0%
Source: 2010 American Community Survey

29. Health
• Teen pregnancy has improved significantly
Teen Birth Rate (15 to 19 year olds)
60.0
Births per 1,000 teen girls
50.0
52.2
47.1 47.3
40.0 42.5 42.8 43.9 42.6 44.5 44.7
38.6
30.0 33.3
20.0
10.0
0.0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics

30. Safety
• Crime rates are declining
Crime Rates
800
Crimes per 100,000 Population
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Crime Rate Violent Crime Rate Property Crime Rate
Source: North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation

31. Economic Outlook
• Emerging energy industry
– Growth centered around Duke Energy
– Existing energy-related firms have expanded and
new ones have located here
– 250 energy-related firms in the
Charlotte Region, a good
number of which are in
Mecklenburg
– EPIC at UNC Charlotte aims to
create a talent pool that will fuel
continued growth of the sector
Source: Charlotte Regional Partnership

32. Economic Outlook
• Other important industries for Mecklenburg’s
future economic growth
– Finance
– Healthcare
– Motorsports
– Transportation and warehousing
– Location for company headquarters

33. Economic Outlook
• Business confidence index
– Dipped into negative territory in 4th Quarter and all
six components were down, indicating diminishing
confidence in both national and local economies
Source: BusinessFirst Charlotte Business Confidence Index,
Fourth Quarter 2011

34. Continued In-Migration
• After peaking in 2007, the number of newcomers
is on the rise again, even though unemployment
remains high
Newcomers to Mecklenburg County
100,000
86,916
People who moved to the county
80,000 76,534 74,526
70,895
66,376
60,506
in the past year
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Source: American Community Survey

35. Discussion Issues
• Possible discussion issues
– Continued in-migration with few new jobs
– Future of white population’s support for CMS
– Reduction in size of middle class
– Public transit system does not adequately serve
those who need it most
– Impact of health care law (if it is implemented)
• Predicted shortage of primary care physicians

36. Our Work in the Community
• Visit our websites to learn more about who we
are, what we do, and the community in which we all
live
– http://ui.uncc.edu
– http://ri.uncc.edu
• Recent studies and ongoing work of interest
– MeckEd interactive maps of CMS schools
– United Way Community Needs Assessment
– Urban League The State of Ethnic Charlotte
– Women’s Summit Women, Wages, & Work series
– Goodwill Preparing Our Youth for Work Community
Assessment

37. Contact Information
• Contact us with questions about our work and
ideas for future research
– Linda Shipley
• 704-687-2177
• lshipley@uncc.edu
– Laura Simmons
• 704-687-2872
• lsimmo19@uncc.edu

38. Demographic & Economic Changes
and How They Impact Our Community
Presentation by Linda Shipley & Laura Simmons
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
October 2011