C harlotte was perceived, many years ago as a textile center and now, a banking center. While Charlotte remains proud of the industries with which it has been associated over the years, this small, segmented stereotype sells the city's economy short. Charlotte boasts a vibrant, balanced economy that encompasses many sectors, as well as companies that range in size from microbusiness to multinational.  Charlotte's economy is easily one of the healthiest and strongest in the nation. Diverse business interests shelter Charlotte from side effects resulting from slowdowns in certain sectors, corporate mergers and buyouts and other economic challenges.  Our solid based economy facilitates exceptionally strong growth during economic upswings.

Companies considering a relocation to Charlotte find other advantages in this broad-based economy as well.  Supplies and services are abundant and convenient, costs for wages, benefits and labor overhead, such as worker's compensation, unemployment and health insurance coverage, are significantly lower than in other regions of the country.  An unusually rich quality of life, with ample opportunity for companies and executives who wish to actively participate in making this city an even better place to live and work is available as well. 

According to recent Employment Security Commission figures, employment in Mecklenburg County is now distributed among all major business sectors. The 565,415 persons employed in the county last year were dispursed as follows:

54,303-   finance and insurance
58,773-   retail trade
37,059-   wholesale trade
34,391-   manufacturing
19,378-   information  

Now, that's quite diverse for one county!  Mecklenburg County offers 63 percent of the total employment in the Charlotte region.  Charlotte Metro area claims 778,398 jobs, with more than 116,702 of those created since 1998.

Charlotte ranks 6th nationally in number of Fortune 500 headquartered companies. It also is home to operations for 328 companies listed in the Fortune 500. Charlotte-Mecklenburg's largest employers represent many sectors, including health care, government services, education, banking and finance, transportation, retail, telecommunications, and manufacturing.  The city boasts many corporate headquarters, including Bank of America, Duke Energy, Sonic Automotive, SPX, Nucor and Goodrich Corporations, Lowe's and Family Dollar. 

931 companies in Mecklenburg County are included in the 2007 Dun&Bradstreet Million Dollar Listing, with sales over $10 million including 22 companies which exceed $1 billion in sales. Of those 931 companies, 420 are headquartered right here in Charlotte. The Dun & Bradstreet firms represent a broad range of industry sectors, the largest being wholesale trade, manufacturing, finance, insurance and real estate. (Photo to the left courtesy of Jon Bell).

Charlotte has also been cited by Entrepreneur and Fortune magazines as one of the nation's best large cities for entrepreneurs to start and run a small business. Of the 25,600 companies with operations in Charlotte, 23,826 employ less than 50 workers. Only 102 businesses employ more than 500 workers.  

Charlotte has a very active Chamber of Commerce, City Council and County Commission.  Together the representatives of these groups have displayed tremendous economical foresight for the Queen City.  Thanks to our leaders, we have seen the development and implementation of many world-class touches to the city that we, as residents, thought were a bit premature.  For example, the new light rail was fought tooth-and-nail by residents but, alas!  We're all grateful for their proactive stance on this now that gas prices have hit the $4. mark!  

Queen Charlotte Sophia, German-born wife of King George III of England, would surely be proud to know we're soon going to have our own Ritz-Carlton Hotel!   If that doesn't impress her, we could always remind her of how we scored the NASCAR Hall of Fame right here in the cosmopolitan city in North Carolina named for her!  The list of wonderful attributes for this fabulous city goes on and on!  Just call or email me and I'll tell you all about her!

About the author:

Debe Maxwell is a Charlotte Residential Real Estate Broker, Certified Neighborhood and Relocation Specialist who can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in Charlotte NC or any place in the country by connecting you with a relocation professional in your destination of choice. Debe has created a team of professionals throughout the country to ensure that you enjoy a smooth transition to your new area. These professionals are experts in the field of relocation and can serve many purposes beyond a simple home search. The destination service is of no cost to you! Please visit www.TheMaxwellHouseGroup.com  for your relocation and/or your local needs.

Debe Maxwell- HELEN ADAMS REALTY- 704.491.3310 - Debe@DebeMaxwell.com

Copyright © 2009 By Debe Maxwell, All Rights Reserved...*Moving to Charlotte NC?*