Charlotte Wages Rise Amid Economic Uncertainty, Outpacing Most Large US Metros
By Joanne Drilling – National Data Reporter, Charlotte Business Journal
Despite a shifting landscape marked by tariff turmoil and economic uncertainty, wages in the Charlotte metro are on the rise.
That’s according to a recent analysis by The Business Journals of Bureau of Labor Statistics data, which found average year-over-year weekly wages increased in 91 of the nation’s 100 largest metro areas as of the end of this year’s first quarter.
Weekly wages in the Charlotte market rose 8.2% between March 2024 and March 2025, increasing from $1,181.99 to $1,278.70. Charlotte had the 20th-highest increase of the 100 metros.
Two metros in the Carolinas saw wages jump at a higher rate than Charlotte during the year span. The Charleston area logged a 10% increase to $1,203.94 in average weekly earnings, while Raleigh-Cary had a 9.4% uptick to $1,221.36.
Elsewhere in the Carolinas, Greenville, South Carolina, recorded a 5.4% increase to $1,173.04 in average weekly wages; Columbia had a 3.6% increase to $1,046.52; and Greensboro-High Point saw a 3.3% increase to $1,065.97. Two North Carolina metros logged decreases: Durham-Chapel Hill, down 1% to $1,242,10; and Winston-Salem, down a whopping 13.6% to $996,74.
Of course, the data doesn’t reflect any impacts from the sweeping tariffs announced — and then later scaled back — in April.
Previous
