While big cities like Charlotte offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Charlotte. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Charlotte without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Charlotte are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Charlotte area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Charlotte for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Charlotte? Tega Cay ranks as the best suburb of Charlotte for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Tega Cay, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Charlotte ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about North Carolina:
The 10 Best Charlotte Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 12,816
Median Income: $140,172
Unemployment Rate: 1.3%
Poverty Rate: 0.4%
More on Tega Cay: Data | Real Estate
Tega Cay is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Charlotte area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Tega Cay.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $140,172 a year, which is the 4th highest in the Charlotte region. And only 1.27% are out of work. Homes average more than $565,388 each.
/10
Population: 15,199
Median Income: $140,938
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.9%
More on Davidson: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Davidson is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Charlotte for 2024.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 3.84% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
ive. Does have some problems, but at least it has not run all its middle class and minority people away like Davidson. Lived in Davidson from 1980 to 2015. Loved it! Well, loved it most of the time. Was a great small town for most of that time, but in the last 10 years or so, my ability to live there was not financially viable.
Couldn’t retire there.
When I moved to Davidson, I might see a dozen cars between Exit 30 and Sunset Road. I am happy that Davidson is moving in the direction their citizens embrace. Change is always happening. And I am sure my friends, long time residents and new arrivals are thrilled to be there.
/10
Population: 13,173
Median Income: $171,810
Unemployment Rate: 2.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.2%
More on Weddington: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Weddington, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Charlotte metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Weddington.
Chapel Hill – Born and Raised – we are snobs because we lived in ShangriLa.
However….it has turned into a bad bedroom community of Raleigh. It is also infiltrated with Yankees. 40 years ago, it was a great town.
Now it s***s….except for the Heels!
Carrborro – The place is a dump. The people are not snobs at all. They are gay, and maybe snobbish in the gay community, however not relevant to anyone else. People in Chapel Hill do not even go to Carrboro….ever.
/10
Population: 31,396
Median Income: $107,969
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.2%
More on Cornelius: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Cornelius ranks as the 4th best suburb of Charlotte for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Cornelius and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 18,934
Median Income: $134,767
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 2.9%
More on Harrisburg: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Harrisburg.
Harrisburg gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Charlotte area, where houses sell for an average of $477,928. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 20,665
Median Income: $124,711
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Waxhaw: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Waxhaw is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 3.26%.
According to online reports, Waxhaw is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Charlotte area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 61,202
Median Income: $112,893
Unemployment Rate: 4.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.2%
More on Huntersville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Huntersville.
Huntersville schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 13.8 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 26,022
Median Income: $128,125
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Fort Mill: Data | Real Estate
Fort Mill is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 4.1% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 29,613
Median Income: $103,405
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 4.8%
More on Matthews: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Matthews?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 6,421
Median Income: $238,875
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 8.5%
More on Marvin: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Marvin.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Charlotte for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Charlotte was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Charlotte.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 41 suburbs to evaluate around Charlotte.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 41 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Charlotte.” We’re lookin’ at you, Tega Cay.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Charlotte suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Charlotte ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Charlotte are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Charlotte but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more North Carolina reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In North Carolina
- Richest Cities In North Carolina
- Safest Cities in North Carolina
Table: Best Charlotte Suburbs
Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tega Cay, NC | 12,816 | $140,172 | $565,388 |
2 | Davidson, NC | 15,199 | $140,938 | $624,402 |
3 | Weddington, NC | 13,173 | $171,810 | $936,823 |
4 | Cornelius, NC | 31,396 | $107,969 | $501,024 |
5 | Harrisburg, NC | 18,934 | $134,767 | $477,928 |
6 | Waxhaw, NC | 20,665 | $124,711 | $561,159 |
7 | Huntersville, NC | 61,202 | $112,893 | $517,476 |
8 | Fort Mill, NC | 26,022 | $128,125 | $505,522 |
9 | Matthews, NC | 29,613 | $103,405 | $468,340 |
10 | Marvin, NC | 6,421 | $238,875 | $1,073,504 |
11 | Stallings, NC | 16,193 | $99,451 | $433,914 |
12 | Lake Park, NC | 3,342 | $73,972 | $379,829 |
13 | Indian Trail, NC | 40,325 | $95,101 | $408,207 |
14 | Mooresville, NC | 50,025 | $82,622 | $468,555 |
15 | Midland, NC | 4,675 | $101,220 | $362,790 |
16 | Wesley Chapel, NC | 8,763 | $133,333 | $595,551 |
17 | Cramerton, NC | 5,294 | $89,313 | $282,370 |
18 | Belmont, NC | 14,842 | $84,274 | $403,471 |
19 | Mint Hill, NC | 26,537 | $92,102 | $471,547 |
20 | Unionville, NC | 6,694 | $90,904 | $400,244 |
21 | Concord, NC | 105,335 | $83,480 | $361,879 |
22 | Oakboro, NC | 2,379 | $78,453 | $296,496 |
23 | Ranlo, NC | 4,487 | $78,533 | $262,751 |
24 | Stanley, NC | 3,967 | $61,723 | $332,299 |
25 | Pineville, NC | 10,532 | $55,450 | $390,836 |
26 | Mount Holly, NC | 17,644 | $73,923 | $341,383 |
27 | Mineral Springs, NC | 3,185 | $94,113 | $379,811 |
28 | Landis, NC | 3,663 | $73,571 | $241,768 |
29 | Wingate, NC | 4,061 | $72,188 | $293,700 |
30 | Rock Hill, NC | 74,170 | $60,807 | $312,290 |
31 | Locust, NC | 4,700 | $52,551 | $353,374 |
32 | Kannapolis, NC | 53,314 | $66,487 | $259,607 |
33 | Dallas, NC | 5,889 | $55,979 | $255,650 |
34 | Gastonia, NC | 80,615 | $58,047 | $275,514 |
35 | Clover, NC | 6,800 | $63,649 | $392,293 |
36 | Lowell, NC | 3,692 | $55,481 | $257,797 |
37 | China Grove, NC | 4,449 | $44,881 | $275,642 |
38 | Monroe, NC | 34,897 | $63,982 | $320,941 |
39 | Lincolnton, NC | 11,225 | $41,614 | $273,540 |
40 | Kings Mountain, NC | 11,246 | $45,301 | $218,463 |
41 | York, NC | 8,534 | $50,177 | $333,788 |