Charlotte gained 37,600 jobs in 2025. That’s second in the nation for total growth, right behind New York City, based on numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. NYC added 48,400 positions during that same stretch.
The Queen City area posted a 2.7% annual jump among metro areas with populations over 1 million. NYC saw just a 0.5% gain. These numbers cover nonfarm payroll jobs.
Only five major metro areas reported significant increases. Philadelphia ranked third with 36,400 jobs, while Salt Lake City added 15,300.
This happened as the national unemployment rate climbed to 4.1% over the past year. About 255 out of 387 metro areas reported higher jobless rates.
The metro area spans 10 counties in North Carolina and four in South Carolina, with Mecklenburg County at its center. Several companies expanded here in 2025. Scout Motors will create more than 1,200 jobs over the next five years. Daimler Truck North America is adding more than 270 positions.
Chuck McShane, senior director of market analytics for CoStar Group/Homes.com, pointed to a magnet effect where businesses and residents chase talent. “While population and job growth are slowing throughout the country, Charlotte is becoming a magnet,” said McShane, according to The Charlotte Observer. “I’ve been saying Charlotte’s taking a bigger slice of a smaller pie.”
McShane described a cycle where high-paying office jobs trigger growth in housing, construction, retail, and hospitality. The area ranks in the top three nationally for office leasing and absorption, year after year.
“Charlotte is definitely punching above its weight class,” McShane added.
North Carolina led the nation in domestic migration from July 2024 through July 2025, with a net gain of more than 84,000 residents from other states, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. McShane said the Carolinas have kept a balance of value and quality of life as former boom towns in Florida and Texas struggle with rising costs.
“I really put it down to population growth more than anything else,” McShane said. “As markets like Florida and Texas have slowed a little bit, the Carolinas have continued to grow, and Charlotte’s benefited from that.”
The area enters 2026 with a civilian labor force surpassing 1.5 million workers. McShane warned that the record-breaking pace of 2025 may see revisions because the data remains preliminary.
“We probably won’t see that level of job growth year after year,” he said. “But because of the amount of population growth we’ve had here, Charlotte will continue to outperform.”